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To inform students and parents of our expectations in order to ensure a productive partnership, where each and everyone has a role to play in eradicating bullying;

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To maintain a community in which everyone feels valued and safe and where individual differences are appreciated, understood and accepted;

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To promote a secure and happy, caring environment where kindness and helpfulness are expected and respected;

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To praise and reward positive behaviour which benefits others and the community as a whole;

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To teach students to respect themselves and others, promoting crucial self-esteem;

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To reduce the emotional and mental distress of any bullying enabling all students the right to enjoy their time at school.

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To help students through advice and counselling, to make the right choices and not succumb to peer pressure;

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To listen to all parties involved in incidents and always take allegations from victims seriously;

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To reassure students that the school will do all in its power to protect and support all parties involved while the issues are being resolved;

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To foster by example the values we as a school believe in;

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To investigate all incidents as fully as possible;

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To use a range of strategies which challenge bullying behaviour;

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To include within the curriculum, opportunities to discuss and consider bullying and other forms of anti-social behaviour;

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To identify bullying behaviour at the early stages (KG and Grade 1) and work towards behaviour modification before the problem becomes more serious.

Encourage victims and witnesses to speak up with anonymity if necessary;

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Treat incidents seriously however trivial they may seem at first glance;

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Be alert, as an entire staff, for changes in behaviour, attitude and well-being, reporting these immediately to the appropriate member of the pastoral team;

To take all bullying problems seriously;

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To deal with each incident individually and to access the needs of each student separately;

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To regard all incidents as potentially serious and investigate them thoroughly;

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Ensure that bullies and victims are interviewed separately;

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Obtain witness information;

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Keep a written record of the incident, investigation and outcomes which should be lodged with the pastoral team;

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Inform staff as necessary, about the incident;

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Ensure that action is taken to prevent further incidents. Such action may include: