PJP Anti-Bullying Newsletter Oct 24

Welcome to our new Anti-bullying newsletter where we will keep you all up to date about what’s going on in school.

We took part in Anti- Bullying Week and completing lots of different activities where we are reinforcing the messages about how our school approaches bullying. This includes knowing what steps to take if someone is being bullied, ensuring our pupils know what to do if they are being bullied, how to deal with anyone who bullies and that everyone should take bullying seriously because of the long-term impact it can have on friendships, self-esteem as well as emotional and mental health and wellbeing.

This year we are updating our Anti-Bullying Policy in alignment with the new Bí Cineálta procedures. This will enable our schools to have all of their systems in place to ensure that our students can play and learn with the confidence that bullying is challenged and addressed.

This year the students will work on a student-friendly version of the PJP Bí Cineálta Policy and display it in every classroom, our website and where the school community can see it.

Bullying is targeted behaviour, online or offline that causes harm. The harm caused can be physical, social and/or emotional in nature. Bullying behaviour is repeated over time and involves an imbalance of power in relationships between two people or groups of people in society.

Bullying hurts; no one deserves to be a victim of bullying. Everybody has the right to be treated with respect. Children who are bullying need to learn different ways of behaving. Bullying can cause stress and can affect a child’s health. Schools and parents have a responsibility to respond promptly and effectively to issues of bullying.

At PJP we aim to:

· Promote a secure and happy environment free from threat, harassment and any type of bullying behaviour.

· Ensure all teaching and non-teaching staff, pupils and parents have an understanding of what bullying is.

· Inform children and parents of the school’s expectations and to foster a productive partnership, which helps maintain a bully-free environment.

· Identify and deal with incidents of bullying consistently and effectively.

· Promote a zero tolerance approach towards incidents of bullying.

A child may indicate by signs or behaviour that he or she is being bullied. Adults should be aware of these possible signs and that they should investigate if a child:

· is frightened of walking to or from school

· begs to be driven to school

· changes their usual routine

· is unwilling to go to school (school reluctance behaviour)

· becomes withdrawn anxious, or lacking in confidence

· attempts or threatens self-harm

· cries themselves to sleep at night or has nightmares/bedwetting

· regularly feels ill in the morning

· begins to do poorly in school work

· comes home with clothes torn or books damaged

· has possessions go “missing”

· has unexplained cuts or bruises

· becomes unreasonable when dealing with school issues

· issues around eating

· is frightened to say what’s wrong

· gives improbable excuses for any of the above

These signs and behaviours could indicate other problems, but bullying should be considered a possibility and should be investigated.

Training modules include:

· The Principal and VP attended an online Bí Cineálta seminar for school leaders. This provided information on Cineáltas and Bí Cineálta procedures.

· The Principal and VP will attend the Bí Cinealta in-person professional learning in November 2024.

· Information seminars will be provided to the BOM and PA.

· PJP will avail of a half-day school closure in 2025 to facilitate engagement of all school staff with these procedures. The Department have not yet released this date to the school yet. We will let parents know as soon as this has been confirmed.

Children at PJP learn about the different roles that people can take when bullying occurs. They are taught that a bystander is someone who sees or knows about bullying or other forms of violence that is happening to someone else; they can either be part of the problem (hurtful bystander) or part of the solution (helpful bystander).

At PJP, our aim is to establish an Anti-Bullying Focus Group. The Focus Group will examine current anti- bullying practice, future aims and targets, assisting in the updating of the anti-bullying/Bí Cineálta Policy and monitoring the effectiveness of the strategy. Our Focus Group will consists of our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors as well as the Principal and/or VP.

All children will be aware of these Ambassadors and know that if they are concerned about a person’s behaviour towards them or other members of the school community they can speak to either an Ambassador or any member of staff. Ambassadors patrol different areas of the school yard and can alert staff members to any concerning behaviour. They help children to find somebody to play with if they are having difficulty at playtimes. They also can report to a teacher on yard if issues arise.

It is recognised that incidents of bullying occur in all schools. It is essential that all such incidents are taken seriously and dealt with in an appropriate manner. A pupil or parent may report an incident to any member of staff; PJP recognises a collective responsibility among the whole staff to ensure that any incidents are dealt with in a consistent and effective manner. The staff, led by the Principal, will be responsible for embedding anti-bullying awareness in the policies and practices of the school.

At PJP, we believe that a simple act of kindness can help a person feel empowered to stand up to bullying. We are encouraging everyone to get involved in choosing kindness and be the reason to make someone smile. If you have any other questions about the information above please feel free to make an appointment to speak with myself the VP, Gayle Byrne.