Bullying should not be tolerated in any form. At Bushey Meads we believe it is important to address bullying so that the message is clear that bullying is unacceptable.

Bullying can be:

Physical, Verbal, Cyber, Racial, Homophobic, Religious, or Emotional  

It is designed with the full intention of repeatedly hurting another individual.  But there are some simple steps to take to stop the bullying:

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

The Anti-bullying Ambassadors

As the Intervention Manager, I was asked to assemble a group of students who would like to represent the school as Anti-bullying Ambassadors.  I was once again astonished at how many willing volunteers there were and how eager they were to support this cause. They were all very knowledgeable and really enthusiastic about taking part in activities to help students who were being bullied. They were also very keen to get their badges.

Your Anti-bullying Ambassadors for 2018/19

Emma H, Edward B, Maisie W, Sophie Z, Sebasitan J, Vritika B, Niteesh T, Thushya S, Eloise E, Kavina G,   Lia F, Irene M , Lily G, Dylan,  Tejas, Aishvini R,  Declan O, Akshya J, Andrea T, Crystal H and Tulsi H

The ambassadors have already had two meetings to date and discussed many up and coming events that are leading up to the Anti-bullying week on the 12th-16th of November 2011. Sneak previews; The launch of our Anti-bullying Ambassador drop in Zone, Arts competition, Cake sales, Free stickers and lots more.

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.’

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: Bullies are born this way, it’s in their genes

Fact: Bullies often adopt this behaviour from their environment or sometimes, it’s a reaction from them being bullied by others. Whatever the case, it is not right.

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: Cyberbullying can only affect someone if they are online and have an account too

Fact: This is not true, we often hear of pages and fake accounts being created without person’s permission or knowledge. This sort of cyberbullying is on the increase and just as serious as any other form of bullying.

Myth: It is not bullying if someone deletes the comment or post

Fact: Regardless of hitting delete, once something is posted online is gets its own unique URL which means that it can stay on cyberspace even if you hit delete.

Myth: If bullying was so bad, why don’t they have a law about it?

Fact: Some forms of bullying are illegal and should be reported to the police including violence or assault, theft, repeated harassment or intimidation, e.g.threats and abusive phone calls, emails or text messages and hate crimes.

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.

Myth: Children grow out of bullying

Fact: Quite often children who bully may grow up to be adults who bully or use negative behaviour to get what they want, unless there has been intervention and their behaviour challenged by the relevant authorities, whether it be school or parents, etc.

Remember:  If you are being bullied or you know of someone who is:  Take action …..  ell an adult …..Talk about it …..

Tell your Tutor, a Teacher, a TA, or a member of the Pastoral Team.  

Make sure you tell someone!