REPORT BULLYING HERE: ANONYMOUS BULLYING REPORT FORM
Anti Bullying Policy 1920
The Rosses Community School is a “Can Tell” school that seeks to prevent bullying and create a welcoming and caring environment where every student, parent and staff member can be respected as individuals and be free of any type of bullying. The school is committed to creating an environment where bullying is not accepted or tolerated.
The school recognises the role of the entire school community in identifying and reporting bullying behaviour and acknowledges its own role in taking appropriate action when bullying behaviour becomes apparent. In line with the school’s ethos, we promote a supportive environment for all our students. Supports will be made available for any student who is the victim of bullying behaviours and will also be provided for students who engage in bullying behaviours to promote positive reinforcement of positive conduct.
At the RCS we take a proactive role in combatting bullying by increasing awareness and education of the issue amongst students (through formal curricular programming; SPHE, RE, RSE, Wellness, CSPE and Guidance; and through the school’s pastoral care system), staff and parents. As a ‘Can Tell’ school we encourage the reporting of all incidences of bullying. Practical actions to prevent bullying (comprehensive supervision and monitoring) are implemented to ensure that incidents of bullying behaviours are minimised.
Reporting of bullying follows a developed procedure. There is a Pastoral Care system within the school, where each class has a year head who reports all incidents of bullying that is reported to them which is then reported to school management. All incidents will be investigated and sanctions for bullying behaviour have been identified and will be implemented.
The school’s anti-bullying policy covers the entire school community (students, parents, and all-staff) and applies to all school-related activities, including the period to and from school. Bullying may be physical, verbal or psychological in nature and may target any of the 9 areas of possible discrimination covered by the Equal Status Acts (2000 & 2008): Gender, Marital Status, Family Status, Sexual Orientation, Religion, Age, Race, Membership of the Travelling Community, Disability.
The Rosses Community School’s Anti-Bullying Policy was drafted in accordance with the requirements of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 and updated yearly in accordance with department guidelines. For more information, check out the RCS Anti-Bullying Policy in the ‘Policies’ section of the website
Information on Bullying for Students and Parents
It is important to think about bullying, its effects and how it needs to be dealt with head on. Today cyber-bullying is an increasing problem in society; it is a relatively new phenomenon that both adults and children have struggled to fully understand.
Parents should read this advice if you think your child is a victim of bullying or indeed a bully themselves.
Irish website Spunout.ie offers some excellent advice on it's website....
Cyberbullying can involve unwanted text messages, phone video recordings or web posts being used to threaten, abuse or harm someone. It’s like physical or verbal bullying, but it uses technology instead.
Cyberbullying, like all bullying, is difficult on the victim. It can be hard to prove and difficult to get the courage to report it.
If you are experiencing this form of bullying, it’s vital you don’t suffer in silence. Also, if you have witnessed cyberbullying, it’s important that you take action and address the problem.
Read the Office for Internet Safety's Guide to cyberbullying, which includes information on when and how to contact service providers if you are being cyberbullied.
Beat cyberbullying
· Don’t reply to the messages.
· Save the evidence (photo/email/video/web post, etc) as proof.
· Tell a trusted adult, such as a close relative, a family friend, a teacher, health professional or a youth worker.
· Contact a free confidential support service such as Samaritans - telephone 1850 609090. Click here to see the directory of help services.
· Report the bullying to the police or Gardaí.
· Report the bullying to the technology providers such as the mobile phone company, web host or website owner. Find out how to report bullying or problems here.
· Check out this information on staying safe online.
Text bullying
Texting is cheap, easy and can be great for flirting or avoiding a long conversation that sucks up credit. Unfortunately it can also be used to harass, bully and frighten people. Text bullying or harassment can be texts that frighten, insult, threaten you or make you feel uncomfortable. Email, social networks like Facebook/Twitter and phone calls can be used to harass in the same way.
It is illegal to bully or harass someone by text, phone, Internet or email and if the harassment is getting out of hand you should report it to the police or Gardaí.
If you’re being bullied by texts:
· Don't stay quiet about the bullying. Tell a friend, your parents, a teacher or someone who will be able to help you and give you support.
· Don’t reply to the messages. If there’s no answer, hopefully they will get bored and stop harassing you.
· Don’t delete the messages; you can use them as evidence for reporting the crime.
· Report the bullying to the police or Gardaí and your phone company. They are aware of the problem and can give you a new phone number or caution the person harassing you.
There are many people you can speak with if you encounter problems during your time at the Rosses Community School. We recognise that the transition from primary to secondary school can be a scary time for some students; but we are here to help.
Don't suffer in silence - and don't let others suffer in silence! If you know of another pupil getting bullied please tell someone in confidence! The Rosses Community School does not tolerate bullying of any kind.
Senior Management:
Speak with Mr Gorman or Mr Gillen about anything that may trouble you or your child. They can help deal with the situation through consultation, support and source the necessary help required.
Chaplin: Mrs Timoney
Mrs Timoney is available to speak with students about anything that may trouble them - in school or outside of it. You can make an appointment to see her or simply stop her for a chat in the corridor.
Pastoral Care Team:
The pastoral care team are trained to support and guide students in difficulty. The pastoral care team at the RCS are:
· Mr Daire Gillen
· Mrs Helena Cunningham
· Ms Dearbhla Fox
· Mrs Patricia Graham
· Ms Moya Curran
· Mrs Fiona Timoney
Year Heads
There is an overall year head assigned to each year group within the School. Year heads deal with indiscipline problems. The year head for first years is Mrs Lorraine Coyle
Prefects
The Rosses Community School has a large number of senior prefects whose job it is to help out around the school and to advice and guide the younger students. If you'd prefer not to talk to a teacher, why not try speaking to a prefect!