Bullying is a very serious matter. National statistics show that 28 percent of students between the ages of 12–18 experience some form of bullying during their school lives.  Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year. Often those who are victims of bullying feel trapped and isolated, often too frightened to ask for help.

Bullying can be:  Physical, Verbal, Cyber, Racial, Homophobic, Religious, or Emotional abuse.   

It is designed with the full intention of repeatedly hurting another individual

There are some simple steps individuals can take to stop bullying:

Take action….  Tell an adult…Talk about it….

Mrs Mateides, Intervention Manager at Bushey Meads School, now leads the team of student Anti-Bullying Ambassadors. From their initial meetings they have discussed:

Qualities of an Anti-Bullying Ambassador:  

‘Someone that looks out for bullying,  supports those that maybe being bullied and is a listening ear to anyone that may want to talk to someone other than an adult, about something going on’.

The Ambassadors signed Pledges to: ‘respect others and take a stand against bullying by supporting vulnerable young people around me and reporting bullying whenever I see it.’

The Ambassadors have organised: a School Survey and a Poster competition. Up and coming events: Pledges to be signed by the whole school, a Poetry competition and many other ideas for the next academic year 2018.

Anti-Bullying Ambassador team:

Fantasia, Vishuwa, Emer, Sophie, Sebastian, Jasmine, Vritika, Harry, Niteesh, Thushya, Kavina, Irvine, Nisarg, Nieka, Irene, Shannae and Dylan

A mind to be kind

Bushey Meads School constantly and explicitly promotes relationships that focus students on learning behaviours and progress. Everyday our students celebrate their differences by living without harm, acting with kindness and showing respect for one another.

As a school community and as individuals we have ‘A mind to be kind’ following the three principles:

• Live without HARMING others
• Do Acts of KINDNESS
• Show RESPECT for others

What to do if you feel you or a friend are being bullied

Tell somebody about it. You can: Report it via the STUDENT WATCH area on the school website Report it via the CONFIDE button on school computers Email or speak to an Anti-Bullying Coordinator (ABC) Speak to a student ANTI-BULLYING AMBASSADOR Email or speak to your form tutor, a teacher or a pastoral manager Ring the school health helpline

Bullying myths and facts

Myth: Bullying is a normal part of childhood and you should just ignore it

Fact: Bullying is not “normal” or acceptable in any form and ignoring might not always make it stop. If you can, please confide in someone you trust such as a parent or teacher to help you get it stopped. Bullying can knock your self-esteem and confidence.

Myth: It is ok to hit someone who is bullying you, it will stop it

Fact: It’s understandable that you may be angry but if you were to get violent or aggressive it may make matters much worse as you may get into trouble too.

Myth: Bullying only happens in schools

Fact: This is not the case at all, bullying can happen to anyone at any place. It may be out of school, at university or even college. It can happen when you are out with mates or on the way to or from school.

Myth: You can spot a bully from the way they look and act

Fact: There is no such thing as a way a bully looks or acts. There is no specific dress code or behaviour code.

Myth: Online bullying is just banter and harmless

Fact: People being bullied online is a very serious issue, the bullying can go viral very quickly and make the problem escalate quickly. It is important to take a screenshot of any conversations, messages or posts that you feel are bullying so that you have a record.

Myth: Cyberbullying doesn’t involve physical harm so what’s the harm?

Fact: Actually, some people have committed suicide as a result of not seeing any way out of the non-stop harassment, threats and abuses. The emotional scarring stays for a lot longer and sometimes a person will never get over this. Some websites allow people to post anonymously which can mean it is very hard to stop this abuse.

Myth: Reporting a bully will make things worse

Fact: You may worry that reporting a bully might make the bullying escalate or they feel they are not believed. It is important to confide in someone you trust so that you can have some help in getting the necessary support to get this stopped.

Myth: It is easy to spot the signs of bullying

Fact: It is not always easy to spot the signs of bullying as it is not always physical and obvious. Emotional, verbal and online bullying can often leave scars that people don’t see.