Anti-Bullying Academy

Here at Oasis Academy Fir Vale, we take bullying very seriously. Students, staff, parents and anyone associated with the Academy should be assured that we do not tolerate bullying/harassment and that they will be supported when such behaviour is reported.

If bullying or harassment does occur, all students should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effective.

All members of the academy council, students, staff and parents should have an understanding of what bullying/harassment is and what the academy's procedures are for responding to bullying/harassment. 

At Oasis Academy Fir Vale we  committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all our children so they can learn in a welcoming  and safe environment. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our Academy, whether it is in the Academy or in off-site activities. We have a zero tolerance for bullying  or harassment of any kind and will always take reports of bullying very seriously.  We want all Parents and children to feel that they are able  to tell someone and feel confident that their concern will be taken seriously and prompt action taken.  This means that if you know that bullying or harassment is happening to someone please do not hesitate to contact a member of staff or directly to the  designated safeguarding lead Tracy Beevor who can be contacted on  07554458798 or tracy.beevor@oasisfirvale.org

What is bullying?

Bullying is behaviour that hurts someone else – such as name calling, hitting, pushing, spreading rumours, threatening or undermining someone.

It can happen anywhere – at school, at home or online. It’s usually repeated over a long period of time and can hurt a child both physically and emotionally.

Bullying that happens online, using social networks, games and mobile phones, is often called cyberbullying. A child can feel like there’s no escape because it can happen wherever they are, at any time of day or night.

Bullying includes:

• verbal abuse, such as name calling and gossiping
• non-verbal abuse, such as hand signs or text messages
• emotional abuse, such as threatening, intimidating or humiliating someone
• exclusion, such as ignoring or isolating someone
• undermining, by constant criticism or spreading rumours
• controlling or manipulating someone
• racial, sexual or homophobic bullying
• physical assaults, such as hitting and pushing
• making silent, hoax or abusive calls
• online or cyberbullying.

What is online or cyberbullying?

• Cyberbullying is an increasingly common form of bullying behaviour which happens on social networks, games and mobile phones. Cyberbullying can include spreading rumours about someone, or posting nasty or embarrassing messages, images or videos.
• Children may know who's bullying them online – it may be an extension of offline peer bullying - or they may be targeted by someone using a fake or anonymous account. It’s easy to be anonymous online and this may increase the likelihood of engaging in bullying behaviour.
• Cyberbullying can happen at any time or anywhere - a child can be bullied when they are alone in their bedroom - so it can feel like there’s no escape.

      Cyberbullying includes:

• sending threatening or abusive text messages
• creating and sharing embarrassing images or videos
• 'trolling' - the sending of menacing or upsetting messages on social networks, chat rooms or online games
• excluding children from online games, activities or friendship groups
• setting up hate sites or groups about a particular child
• encouraging young people to self-harm
• voting for or against someone in an abusive poll
• creating fake accounts, hijacking or stealing online identities to embarrass a young person or cause trouble using their name
• sending explicit messages, also known as sexting
• pressuring children into sending sexual images or engaging in sexual conversations.

If you are worried about your child being bullied please come into school and let a member of staff know.

Alternatively you can call the NSPCC for help on: 0808 800 5002

Or access the NSPCC website: nspcc.org.uk for help and support.