Understanding the school's responses to bullying
Bullying situations can be complicated and trying to identify exactly what is happening and why can take time. Punishment alone is unlikely to be effective and may be seen to be using 'bullying to stop bullying'.
The school's priority is to stop bullying and to try to reduce the chance of it happening again.
The key to stopping bullying is getting children to talk about what is happening and decide what to do to make the situation better for everyone. This approach is called the Method of Shared Concern and will be explained in the next edition of this newsletter.
Our whole-school bullying policy provides a statement about how students, teachers, staff and families will respond to bullying situations. The link to this policy is: http://www.scotch.wa.edu.au/view/school-guidelines/bullying-policy
It is very important for children to have an understanding of behaviours that are expected of them and that these expectations are consistent at school and at home.
Warwick Norman
Friendly Schools Coordinator
