WHY IS AN ANTI-BULLYING POLICY NECESSARY?
St. Colm’s believes that its pupils have the right to learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment without the fear of being bullied. All institutions, both large and small, contain some numbers of pupils with the potential for bullying behaviour. If a school is well disciplined and organised, it can minimise the occurrence of bullying. The School also has a clear policy on the promotion of positive behaviour and a programme of Personal and Social Education where it is made clear that bullying is a form of anti-social behaviour. It is WRONG and will not be tolerated. WHAT IS BULLYING? Bullying can occur through several types of anti-social behaviour. It can be: (a) PHYSICAL – A child can be physically punched, kicked, hit, spat at, etc. (b) VERBAL – Verbal abuse can take the form of name calling. It may be directed towards gender, ethnic origin, physical/social disability, or personality, etc. (c) EXCLUSION – A child can be bullied simply by being excluded from discussions/activi
