Version Number	001
Status	Approved June 2026
Publication Date
Policy Owner/Author	Headteacher
Review Date	September 2026
Approved/Ratified by	Interim Executive Board (IEB), Date:

Haydon Bridge High School (HBHS) is committed to being a fully accessible and inclusive organisation welcoming and respecting the diversity of its students, staff, community, and visitors to the school.

Rationale

We seek to provide a safe, secure, and positive environment where children and young people can:

• achieve their potential;

• make full use of the opportunities available to them;

• have themselves and their property treated with respect;

• be healthy, stay safe, enjoy, and achieve and make a positive contribution whilst being free from intimidation.

We aim to achieve this by:

• actively listening to children, young people and, where appropriate their parents or carers;

• being proactive in setting up a range of preventative measures.

We believe that bullying is always unacceptable and it will not be tolerated, whether committed by young people or staff.

Principles

The Nature of Bullying

We define bullying as the abuse of power by an individual with the intent to cause distress to another individual or group. It is deliberately hurtful behaviour which may be physical, sexual, verbal, or psychological in nature. It is repeated over a period of time to those who feel powerless to resist and with the intention of causing distress. Bullying should always be taken seriously.

Bullying does not only occur between children. The above definition can also be seen to characterise some relationships between adults or between adults and children. In some more serious instances where adults abuse their power over a child or young person or where a child/young person abuses their power over another child/young person, bullying may be viewed as child abuse and will be treated as such.

Bullying has 7 elements:

• an initial desire to hurt;

• this desire is expressed in action;

• someone is hurt either physically or emotionally;

• there is an imbalance of power;

• it is without justification;

• it is typically repeated;

• there is evident enjoyment by those who bully.

Bullying can also stem from thoughtlessness, such as name calling or it can stem from institutionalised attitudes, e.g. in relation to race or gender. This does not make it any less unacceptable.

Bullying can take 3 forms:

• Physical bullying (e.g. hitting, kicking, taking belongings).

• Verbal bullying (e.g. name-calling, insulting, making offensive remarks).

• Indirect bullying (e.g. spreading nasty stories, excluding from social groups).

Name-calling is the most common direct form. This may be because of individual characteristics. However young people can be called names because of their ethnic origin, nationality or colour, sexual orientation, or disability.

The use of mobile phones to text insulting, obscene or threatening messages is both verbal and indirect bullying. The use of phones, including camera phones to harass or transmit derogatory text messages and/or photographs must also be viewed as bullying and is an offence under Section 43 of the Telecommunications Act 1984. Bullying can also take place using new technologies such as e-mail, instant messaging, bulletin boards, and chat rooms used to display offensive and derogatory messages. Websites linking to audio or video clips and comments posted on social networking sites may also represent instances of bullying if they lead to emotional harm.

Bullying is always significant to the person being bullied.

Bullying by Race, Gender Sexual Orientation or Disability

Please refer to the relevant policies which deal specifically with these issues (the ‘Inclusion’ section of the Sex and Relationships Policy, Disability Equality Policy).

Recognising Bullying

Both boys and girls bully, either as individuals or as members of a group. Those who bully can come from any kind of social or cultural background. Adult bullying of children can also occur and is equally unacceptable.

Bullying is most likely to occur in areas and situations where supervision is minimal. Social areas, toilets, corridors, and outdoor areas can be hotspots, although bullying can also take place in the classroom. We also recognise the need to be vigilant about bullying in our boarding setting.

Studies have shown that girls are more likely to be victims (and perpetrators) of ‘cyber bullying’ using phone, text, or e-mail as a form of indirect bullying. Malicious gossip is easily spread using mobile phones and often appears on social networking sites where it can be accessed by anyone ‘invited’ into the bullying group.

Bullying creates inequalities and is damaging to all those involved, the person being bullied, the person who bullies and those who witness or know about the bullying are all affected in some way. Those who bully can experience difficult and unhappy relationships with both peers and adults and frequently need help to overcome these difficulties. They are also more likely to engage in anti-social activities and have a greater prevalence of poor mental health. A young person can have experience of being bullied and can themselves bully others. Bullying is not a natural part of growing up and should never be accepted as such.

Those who bully may show aggression through poor control of impulsive actions, a positive view of violence or a desire to dominate. They may exhibit anxiety through low self-esteem or difficulties in making friends. They may be easily led in joining in bullying behaviour or in standing by whilst bullying takes place. They may experience difficulty in admitting what they have done, be reluctant to admit they have done wrong, suppress feelings of guilt, feel no remorse, and repeat the action, especially if their behaviour goes unchallenged.

Those who are bullied may spend much of their lives in fear. They often feel isolated from their peers and feel that they have done something to attract the bullying. Any young person can be bullied.

Those who are being bullied may experience:

• unhappiness;

• a sense of desolation and perhaps even desperation;

• reduced self-esteem and self-worth;

• poor academic performance;

• exclusion from normal social experiences;

• a strong desire to escape the situation which may result in truancy or absconding;

• a desire to self-harm or even commit suicide.

Those who are being bullied may exhibit the following:

• unwillingness to attend or participate in activities;

• unwillingness to venture into some areas of a building;

• fear of walking to school or using school transport;

• underachievement;

• books or clothes destroyed;

• possessions and money going missing;

• signs of distress such as crying easily, lack of appetite;

• becoming withdrawn or disruptive and/or aggressive;

• stammering;

• stealing to pay the bully or replace missing possessions;

• a variety of physical symptoms including cuts. bruising, aches, pains, faints, headaches. stomach upsets, bedwetting, disrupted sleep patterns;

• a marked change in well-established patterns of behaviour.

Those who are bullied can be reluctant to say what is wrong or to seek help.

Implementation

The school has an anti-bullying mantra of ‘not in our school’ which is highlighted as part of the student induction programme and behaviour curriculum. This code clearly states that we are a ‘telling school.’ Young people are encouraged to report incidents of bullying to any member of staff of their choice, although the tutor, and the pastoral staff are normally the first point of contact for reports of bullying.

During assemblies’ students are also made aware of the issues relating to cyber bullying, homophobic bullying and the tools that are available in school to monitor and track electronic communication. Parents are made aware of our mantra via home/school correspondence, particularly induction, our website and transfer information sent out as young people join the school. The out of hours curriculum offered by school actively provides personal development opportunities for the raising of self-confidence and self-esteem.

All allegations of bullying are rigorously investigated by pastoral staff with cases including damage, injury or theft being given a serious and rapid response. Where bullying has taken place, a process of mediation is encouraged and actively supported by staff. Staff duty rotas and supervision of the school site are regularly reviewed in light of feedback from staff and students and analysis of incident data. Incidents of racist bullying are recorded and reported as required by the LA procedures on CPOMS.

DOCUMENT CONTROL – RECORD OF CHANGES

Version Number:	Publication Date:	Nature of, and Reason for, Change(s)
001		Original