Our Commitment to Safety
At Rushden Academy, bullying is never acceptable. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and safe environment for every student. Pupils and parents should be assured that all reports will be taken very seriously and acted upon swiftly.
What is bullying?
Bullying is the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. It can happen face to face or online.
If you are being bullied in any way or are worried about somebody else who might be you must tell somebody.
As a school we take bullying very seriously. Pupils and parents should be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported.
Bullying behaviour can be:
- Physical – pushing, poking, kicking, hitting, biting, taking someone’s belongings.
- Verbal – name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, threats, teasing, belittling, racist or sexist comments.
- Emotional – isolating others, tormenting, hiding books, threatening gestures, ridicule, humiliation, intimidating, excluding, manipulation and coercion, tormenting, graffiti.
- Sexual – unwanted physical contact, inappropriate touching, abusive comments, homophobic abuse, exposure to inappropriate films, comments relating to sex or sexuality.
- Online/cyber – posting on social media, sharing photos, sending nasty text messages, social exclusion.
- Indirect – Can include the exploitation of individuals, spreading rumours, sending abusive texts, excluding somebody from a group.
Many of these types of bullying can take place in the online environment and this is known as “CYBER BULLYING” eg. Misuse of all areas of the Internet, inappropriate messaging and emailing, sending offensive or degrading images by phone or via the Internet, misuse of any social media.
If there are any serious offences reported this information may be given to other agencies to assist in helping you with your problem.
For advice on cyberbullying go to the following Website: http://ceop.police.uk/
What to do next - How to report
Tell someone you trust. This could be a friend, someone at home, or a teacher. Alternatively, you can contact us directly using these confidential methods:
- Tell an Adult: Speak to any staff member you trust immediately (Form Tutor, Head of Year, Subject Teacher).
- Ambassadors: Confide in a trained Peer Mentor or Anti-Bullying Ambassador.
- Bully Box: Place a written note in one of the confidential reporting boxes.
- Bully Button: Click the icon on your student splash page to send a private, instant report to the Pastoral Team.
What will happen if you tell a teacher? The teacher will listen to you and offer support. The teacher can talk to the person who is bullying you (if you agree) and hopefully stop the bullying.
What to do if you see bullying
- Comfort, support, and stay with the victim.
- Tell the victim to report the incident.
- Tell somebody (e.g., a teacher) what you have seen.
- If you are in a group where one member is bullying, show that you disapprove, because by doing nothing you support the bully.
Our Support Network
Our dedicated leaders oversee the strategy and investigation of all incidents at Rushden Academy:
Behaviour Lead and Anti-Bullying Champion (Senior Leader): Mr. Conor Smith
Behaviour and Anti-Bullying Champion (Governor): Samantha Laywood-Hill
If you need immediate support, you can always contact Childline (0800 1111).
Further Information
For more detail, please check out our Anti-Bullying Policy [Linked Here] and our termly Anti-Bullying Newsletter for updates and events.
Remember:
Bullying will not be tolerated at Rushden Academy.
Report it so we can sort it!
The Anti-Bullying Alliance website has really useful information if your being bullied or know someone who is, please use the link below to visit it:
https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/
Want to tell us something?
Have you seen or have you experienced an incidence of bullying? We want to stamp out all forms of bullying and you can report your experience below. Just type your message and hit submit to send anonymously to our support team.
