to get input.

Date policy was approved: 09^th June 2025

Date policy was last reviewed: n/a

Culture and Environment

·       Create a positive school climate where all students and staff feel safe, respected, and valued.

·       Promote diversity and inclusion in all aspects of school life.

·       Using circle practice in the classroom to build a positive culture and environment.

·       Encourage open communication between students, staff, and parents.

·       Encourage pupils to disclose and discuss incidents of bullying behaviour.

·       Establish clear expectations of behaviour and enforce them consistently.

·       Promote respectful relationships across the whole school community.

·       Effective routines/transitions

·       Antibullying signs and messages will be displayed around the school. Positive messages that promote friendship and a caring attitude will also be displayed.

·       Calm zones within the school.

·       Consistently tackle the use of discriminatory and derogatory language in the school –this includes homophobic and racist language and language that is belittling of pupils with additional needs and/or differences.

·       Systems of encouragement and rewards to promote desired behaviour and

compliance with the school rules and routines may be used where appropriate.

·       Promote acts of kindness on the Wellbeing Wall.

Curriculum (Teaching and Learning)

·       Integrate antibullying messages into the school curriculum.

·       Explicitly teach pupils what respectful language and respectful behaviour looks like, acts like, sounds like and feels like in class and around the school.

·       Teach students about bullying and its effects.

·       Provide opportunities for students to develop social and emotional skills.

·       Incorporate lessons on respect, empathy, and diversity into the curriculum

·       An annual Anti-Bullying and Kindness Week

·       Safe internet use promoted in the classroom with explicit teaching about the appropriate use of social media.

·       The Stay Safe programme is implemented with Junior Infants to 6^th Classes.

·       Zippy’s Friends programme use to promote emotional wellbeing in Junior and Senior Infants. Walk Tall is used in older classes.

·       Code of conduct for the classroom and playground drawn up with children in September

·       Explicit teaching of appropriate communication and emotional literacy.

·       Group Work/Collaboration

·       Zen Den available for pupils outside the classroom and Calm Boxes available within the classroom.

·       The school will specifically consider the additional needs of SEN pupils with regard to programme implementation and the development of skills and strategies to enable all pupils to respond appropriately.

Policy and Planning

·       Develop a clear and consistent Bi Cinealta policy that is enforced by all staff members.

·       Review and update the Bi Cinealta policy annually.

·       Have our child-friendly Bí Cineálta Policy on display prominently around the school.

·       If pupils bring mobile phones or other smart devices to school, they should be

switched off at all times.

·       Provide training for staff on how to recognize and respond to bullying.

·       Establish clear procedures for responding and reporting bullying incidents.

·       The Acceptable Use Policy was established in school to include the necessary steps to ensure that access to technology within the school is strictly monitored.

·       School policies: The following policies, practices and activities that are particularly relevant include, Code of Behaviour, Child Safeguarding Statement, Risk Assessment, Acceptable Use Policy, Attendance Policy, SPHE, RSE, SEN/Inclusion Policy.

·       Pupil Voice

Relationships and Partnerships

·       Encourage open communication between staff, parents, and students.

·       Actively promote the right of every member of the school community to be safe and secure in school.

·       Build positive relationships with students and families

·       Support the active participation of students in school life through formal and informal structures, e.g. circle-time activities, assemblies, sports’ teams, student council.

·       Support the active participation of parents in school life, e.g. being a member of the Parents’ Association, volunteering on school trips etc.

·       Implementation of education and prevention strategies including awareness raising measures that build empathy and resilience in pupils.

·       General Parent Meetings

·       Teacher Professional Learning

·       Guest speakers may be invited to address staff students and parents in relation to various types of bullying.

·       Collaborate with parents to educate them on the dangers of cyberbullying by facilitating outside speakers.

·       The programme Webwise will be taught on a regular basis in the school to teach safe and responsible internet use.

·       Buddy systems and peer learning within the school

·       After school clubs.

Preventing Cyberbullying

·       having regular conversations with students about developing respectful and kind

relationships online

·       developing and communicating an acceptable use policy for technology.

·       referring to appropriate online behaviour as part of the standards of behaviour in the Code of Behaviour.

·       regularly reinforce awareness around appropriate online behaviour.

·       Supervision Policy

·       Acceptable Use of the Internet Policy

·       Code of Behaviour

·       Child Safeguarding Statement and Risk Assessment

Supervision

·       Staff– All staff members should be trained to recognise and respond to bullying behaviour. They should be present and visible in common areas and playgrounds during break times.

·       Students– Class teachers should supervise students during class time and breaks. They should be aware of what is happening in their classrooms and on the playground.

·       Visitors– Visitors to the school should be supervised at all times. They should not be left alone with students.

Monitoring

·       Incident Reporting– The class teacher investigates all instances of reported or suspected bullying behaviour with a view to establishing the facts and records on an incident report form.

·       Incident Investigating– All reports of bullying should be investigated promptly and thoroughly. The investigation should include interviews with the student who reported the incident, the student who was allegedly bullied and any other witnesses.

·       Follow up– The school will take appropriate action to address the bullying behaviour.

Stage 1 – Identifying if bullying behaviour has occurred

Bullying is defined in Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying and Bí Cineálta: Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour for Primary and Post-Primary Schools as 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. The detailed definition is provided in Chapter 2 of the Bí Cineálta procedures.

·       The class teacher investigates all instances of reported or suspected bullying behaviour with a view to establishing the facts and managing the behaviour.

·       To determine whether the behaviour reported is bullying behaviour, the following questions will be considered:

–      Is the behaviour targeted at a specific student or group of students?

–      Is the behaviour intended to cause physical, social or emotional harm?

–      Is the behaviour repeated?

If the answer to each of the questions above is Yes, then the behaviour is bullying behaviour, and the behaviour should be addressed using the Bí Cineálta Procedures.

Note: One-off incidents may be considered bullying behaviour in certain circumstances. A single hurtful message posted on social media can be considered bullying behaviour as it has a high likelihood of being

shared multiple times and thus becomes a repeated behaviour.

If the answer to any of these questions is No, then the behaviour is not bullying behaviour.

Strategies to deal with inappropriate behaviour are provided for within the school’s Code of Behaviour.

·       In investigating and dealing with bullying the class teacher will exercise his/her professional judgment to determine whether bullying has occurred and how best the situation might be resolved. Class teachers should consider the following: who, what, where and when?

·       Interviews will be conducted outside the classroom in a fair and consistent way. If a group is involved, each member will be interviewed individually at first and, thereafter, as a group when each child will be asked for his/her account of what has happened. It may be helpful to ask the students involved to write down their account of the incident.

The following principles must be adhered to when addressing bullying behaviour:

–      Ensure that the student experiencing the bullying behaviour feels listened to and reassured.

–      Seek to ensure the privacy of those involved.

–      Conduct all conversations sensitively.

–      Consider the age and ability of those involved.

–      Listen to the views of the student who is experiencing bullying behaviour as to how best to address the situation.

–      Take action in a timely manner.

–      Inform parents of those involved.

·       Non-teaching staff such as special needs assistants (SNAs), caretakers, cleaners, are encouraged to report any incidents of bullying behaviour witnessed by them or mentioned to them, to a class teacher.

·       School staff should know what to do when bullying behaviour is reported to them.

·       A school is not expected to deal with bullying behaviour that occurs when children are not under the care or responsibility of the school. However, where this bullying behaviour has an impact in school, schools are required to support the students involved. Where bullying behaviour continues in school, schools should deal with this in accordance with their Bi Cinealta policy.

Stage 2: Where bullying behaviour has occurred

·       The primary aim of the class teacher investigating bullying behaviour is to resolve issues and to restore relationships. Ongoing supervision and support may be required for both the student who has experienced bullying behaviour as well as the student displaying bullying behaviour.

·       Parents are an integral part of the school community and play an important role, in partnership with schools, in addressing bullying behaviour. Where bullying behaviour has occurred the parents of the students involved must be contacted at an early stage to inform them of the matter and to consult with them on the actions to be taken to address the behaviour.

·       It is important to listen to the views of the student who is experiencing the bullying behaviour as to how best to address the situation.

·       All bullying behaviour will be recorded. This will include the form and type of behaviour if known (see pages 20-24, Section 2.5 and 2.7 of the Bí Cineálta procedures for descriptions/examples of the forms and types of bullying behaviour), where and when it took place, and the date of the engagement with students and parents. The actions and supports agreed to address bullying behaviour will be documented. If the bullying behaviour is a child protection concern the matter will be addressed without delay in accordance with Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools.

·       The record should be shared with the Principal.

·       It must be made clear to all involved (each set of pupils and parent/guardians) that in any situation where disciplinary sanctions are required this is a private matter (under GDPR) between the pupil being disciplined, his or her parents and the school.

Stage 3: Follow up where bullying behaviour has occurred

·       The teacher must engage with the students involved and their parents again no more than 20 school days after the initial engagement. Important factors to consider as part of this engagement are the nature of the bullying behaviour, the effectiveness of the strategies used to address the bullying behaviour and the relationship between the students involved.

·       The teacher should document the review with students and their parents to determine if the bullying behaviour has ceased and the views of students and their parents in relation to this the date that it has been determined that the bullying behaviour has ceased should also be recorded.

·       Any engagement with external services/supports should also be noted.

·       Ongoing supervision and support may be needed for the students involved even where bullying behaviour has ceased.

·       If the bullying behaviour has not ceased the teacher should review the strategies used in consultation with the students involved and their parents. A timeframe should be agreed for further engagement until the bullying behaviour has ceased.

·       If it becomes clear that the student who is displaying the bullying behaviour is continuing to display the behaviour, then consideration should be given to using the strategies to deal with inappropriate behaviour as provided for within the school’s Code of Behaviour. If disciplinary sanctions are considered, this is a matter between the relevant student, their parents and the school.

·       If a parent(s) is not satisfied with how the bullying behaviour has been addressed by the school, in accordance with the Bí Cineálta Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour for Primary and Post-Primary Schools they should be referred to the school’s complaints procedures.

·       If a parent is dissatisfied with how a complaint has been managed, they may make a complaint to the Ombudsman for Children if they believe the school’s actions have had a negative effect on the student.

·       Promoting a positive school culture where pupils feel safe, respected, and valued.

·       Managing bullying behaviour.

·       Supporting the pupils who have experienced bullying behaviour, displayed bullying behaviour, and witnessed bullying behaviour.

·       Raising awareness of the appropriate programmes and teacher training including those developed by NEPS (National Educational Psychological Service), Oide (support service for schools) and from programmes/sites such as Webwise and FUSE.

·       Helping pupils raise their self-esteem by encouraging them to become involved in activities that develop friendships and social skills e.g., participation in group work in class, team activities during or after school, small social groups with SET.

·       In dealing with challenging behaviour, teachers and parents focus on positive reinforcement and restorative practices.