Bí Cinealta Policy to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour
This policy fully complies with the requirements of Bí Cineálta: Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2024.
The board of management acknowledges that bullying behaviour interferes with the rights of the child as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. We all, as a school community, have a responsibility to work together to prevent and address bullying behaviour and to deal with the negative impact of bullying behaviour.
We are committed to ensuring that all students who attend our school are kept safe from harm and that the wellbeing of our students is at the forefront of everything that we do. We recognise the negative impact that bullying behaviour can have on the lives of our students, and we are fully committed to preventing and addressing bullying behaviour.
We confirm that we will, in accordance with our obligations under equality legislation, take all such steps that are reasonably practicable to prevent the harassment of students or staff on any of the nine grounds specified: gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller community. The term Bí Cineálta comes from the Irish word for kindness. Showing kindness to others, modelling kindness for our pupils and promoting kindness always underpins our anti-bullying policy.
This policy sets out St Vincent’s School’s procedures for dealing with bullying. This policy should also be read in conjunction with St. Vincent’s School’s Code of Behaviour Policy. The pupils at St. Vincent’s School all have moderate learning difficulties. The nature of their disability means that children may not have sufficient understanding or awareness that certain behaviours directed towards others may be undesirable or that they might be construed as bullying. Similarly, some children who are the recipients of such behaviours may be unable to express or communicate their aversion to such behaviours or to tell adults. This means that all staff at St. Vincent’s School have a duty to not only be aware of such behaviours and of any child involved, but also to respond appropriately to instances of bullying behaviours.
We confirm that we will take all steps that are reasonably practicable to prevent all bullying or harassment of our students in whatever form and however motivated. Catholic schools have a distinctive understanding of the human person, recognising that every person is created in God's image and likeness and has inherent dignity as a child of God. This is the basis for ensuring that everybody in our school is treated with respect and care, in accordance with the Catholic Schedule.
As a Catholic school, we are committed to respecting the dignity of every individual. No human person is to be devalued and everybody has a part to play in the school community, regardless of difference.
Definition of Bullying
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 is repeated over time and involves an imbalance of power in relationships between two people or groups of people in society. Each school is required to develop and implement a Bí Cineálta policy that sets out how the school community prevents and addresses bullying behaviour. Strategies to deal with inappropriate behaviour that is not bullying behaviour are provided for within the school’s Code of Behaviour.
Section A: Development/review of our Bí Cineálta policy to prevent and address bullying behaviour
All members of our school community were provided with the opportunity to input into the development/review of this policy.
Section B: Preventing Bullying Behaviour
Section C: Addressing Bullying Behaviour
The teacher(s) with responsibility for addressing bullying behaviour is (are) as follows:
When bullying occurs, the school will:
> ensure that the student experiencing bullying behaviour is heard and reassured
> seek to ensure the privacy of those involved > conduct all conversations with sensitivity
> 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
All bullying behaviour will be recorded. This will include the type of 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 bullying is a child protection concern the matter will be addressed without delay in accordance with Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools.
Section D: Oversight
The principal will present an update on bullying behaviour at each board of management meeting. This update will include the number of incidents of bullying behaviour that have been reported since the last meeting, the number of ongoing incidents and the total number of incidents since the beginning of the school year. Where incidents of bullying behaviour have occurred, the principal will also provide a verbal update which will include where relevant, information relating to trends and patterns identified, strategies used to address the bullying behaviour and any wider strategies to prevent and address bullying behaviour where relevant. This update does not contain personal or identifying information. See Chapter 7 of the Bí Cineálta procedures. This policy is available to our school community on the school’s website and in hard copy on request. A student-friendly version of this policy is displayed in the school and is also available on our website and in hard copy on request. This policy and its implementation will be reviewed, following input from our school community, each calendar year or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which this policy refers.
