Anti-bullying

Is it bullying, disagreement, falling out, conflict or unkind behaviour?

Unfortunately children can do and say unkind things. It is part of developing relationships and learning about social interactions. Alongside parents, we want to support children to develop friendships and learn about how to be a good friend.

When a child says that they are being bullied or they are feeling unhappy, it is important to find out if it is bullying, a disagreement, a falling out, conflict or unkind behaviour. All of this behaviour needs to be dealt with so we work with parents to make sure all the children at St Catherine's CE Primary School feel safe and valued.

Here are some questions to ask your child to help establish what behaviour they are experiencing. You don't need to ask all of these questions (as lots of questions can be overwhelming for some children) but they might help you to find out how they are feeling:

• When did this all start?
• How long has this been going on?
• What was your role in what happened?
• What have you been told and by whom? (Sometimes name calling etc can start from rumours, this is important to discover)
• Who was present?
• What did you do? What was your response?
• What actions did you take?

What is Bullying?

Bullying is deliberate, repeated, and intended to cause harm. It often involves an imbalance of power and can take different forms, including:

• Physical – Hitting, kicking, pushing, or damaging belongings.
• Verbal – Name-calling, teasing, threats, or spreading harmful rumors.
• Emotional – Excluding someone on purpose, humiliation, or intimidation.
• Cyberbullying – Hurtful messages, online harassment, or sharing personal information without consent.

What is NOT Bullying?

It’s important to distinguish bullying from other types of conflict. The following are not bullying but still need to be addressed in school:

• One-off disagreements or arguments – Children will sometimes fall out, but this is a normal part of learning social skills. This is not bullying. 
• One-off unkind remarks or causing upset – A child may say something hurtful in the heat of the moment, but this is not bullying. However, it will need to be resolved with the support of an adult in school. We recognise that children make mistakes and sometimes need guidance in making the right choices. This is not bullying.   
• Accidental harm – If a child unintentionally hurts another, it is not considered bullying.
• Not wanting to play with someone – Friendships change, and children have the right to choose who they spend time with.
• Standing up for oneself – Defending personal boundaries is not bullying if done respectfully.

If you are concerned about your child, please do speak to your child's class teacher in the first instance. We will do all we can to ensure that every child is happy and feels safe in school.