At Dove House we teach the children to recognise the difference. Bullying can often be an incorrectly used term to describe conflict. Conflict being a disagreement or argument. It’s natural for pupils to sometimes feel overwhelmed with big emotions when they encounter a friendship problem. Sometimes a small disagreement feels like a huge issue. At Dove House when conflicts occur, our aim is to develop conflict resolutions skills through restorative practice based on developing empathy, practicing talking about feelings and problem solving. A process where children’s voices are heard and a focus on repairing the harm and making things right.
Positive relationships are among the most important elements in creating a productive and safe classroom where individual needs are met and a sense of community is developed.
At Dove House we need to understand the difference, and understand how we can work together to be a bully free school
When dealing with bullying our priorities are:
The Victim
- To make the victim feel safe
- Support the needs of the victim
- Listen to the victim and the impact on their lives
The Bullying
- To stop the bullying and change the bully’s behaviour
- To make it clear to every other child that bullying is unacceptable
- To learn lessons from the experience that can be applied in the future
Next steps:
Whilst it is vital that sanctions are imposed, it is equally, if not more important to re-educate the bully and we use a number of strategies to do this including:
- Restorative justice
- Encouraging the bully to reflect upon the consequences of their actions