UNDERSTANDING BULLYING BEHAVIOUR The most helpful working assumption is that nobody is born a bully. However, from a very young age some children learn that aggressive behaviour helps them get their own way and for some creating fear in their victims is a rewarding and pleasurable experience. Some like to react to an audience with adults and other students. Children who behave in this way have learnt from the older people around them how to hurt others. Many witness deliberate acts of physical and verbal aggression in their homes, in school, their environment and on television and films. It is not surprising that by the time they go to infant school they have learnt many ways of bullying others often by being bullied themselves. The message for all adults therefore is that prevention is better than cure. A fine line separates bossy and bullying behaviour but it is important to distinguish between them and between boisterous and aggressive play. Bossy students tend to boss whoever is around at the time, whereas bullying students pick on younger, smaller or vulnerable children. Most young people grow out of bossiness as they learn social skills and self-control. Bullies, however, increasingly rely upon threat and coercion. Boisterous, rough and tumble play is natural and fun but it becomes bullying when it spoils other children’s activities and enjoyment. We need to be aware that some students do not realise their behaviour is bullying and most will claim that to be the case. FOR MORE INFORMATION ORDER OUR NON- COPYRIGHTED ANTI-BULLYING PACK WHICH INCLUDES: ·Understanding bullying behaviour ·Why an Anti- Bullying Policy? ·The development of a whole school policy ·An Anti- Bullying Policy ·A Student Anti- Bullying Contract ·Guidelines on helping and working with students who bully ·Guidelines on helping and working with students who have been bullied ·Information to students on procedures to take if they have been bullied ·Action for parents ·Leaflet on Peer-Counselling at Walton High School ·Information on a Student Peer Support Service ·Peer support as part of an anti- bullying policy ·Example of training session for staff ·Example of awareness raising session for students ·Example of training session for parents .Circle of Friends Approach ·Research on Bullying ·Monitoring and Evaluation: The anti- bullying pack is available online or from the following address. If you would like it sent online send a cheque for £6 payable to Netta Cartwright to the address below. If you would like a hard copy send a cheque for £10 payable to Netta Cartwright and include a self addressed and stamped (£1) envelope (A4) to Netta Cartwright PeerSupportWorks 11, Brunswick Terrace, Stafford United Kingdom ST16 1BB OUR OTHER PUBLICATIONS ARE: Tackling sexual harassment in school. Present Time, No 92 (Vol.25 No. 3) July 1993 (Rational Island Publishers, USA) Peer Counselling Service: The Student Helper Scheme. Walton Review Issue 21 January 1995 (Walton High School, Stafford. UK) Combatting bullying in school. Peer Counselling Networker, Issue 1, March 1995 (Roehampton Institute, London.) Co-counselling as part of an anti-bullying policy. Croner Head Teacher's Briefing. Issue No 77, 26 June 1995 Combatting bullying in a secondary school in the Unitied Kingdom. In Curcio, J. L. and First, P. F. (Eds.), Journal for a Just and Caring Education, Vol 1, No 3, July 1995 (Corwin Press, Inc. Sage Publications, USA. ) Peer and group counselling. Counselling in Education Newsletter August 1995 (British Association for Counselling, UK. ) Combatting bullying in school: the role of peer helpers. In Cowie, H. and Sharp, S. (Eds.), Peer Counselling in Schools, 1996 (David Fulton Publishers Ltd. London.) The Way Ahead. In Cartwright,N. Glover,D. Gough,G. Gleeson, D. Johnson, M. Miller, D. and Taylor,M. Anti-Bullying in Action: a report into the impact of anti-bullying policies in the schools of the Partnership investigated during the Summer Term 1996. (Keele University Department of Education) Towards Bully Free Schools. Derek Glover and Netta Cartwright, with Denis Gleeson Dec 96/Jan 97. (Open University Press, Buckingham) Peers:Turning Conflict into Connection. In The Quality of Learning:An Emotional Literacy Handbook, Antidote, Campaign for Emotional Literacy May 2002. (Antidote, Cityside House, Aldgate E1 1EE) Setting Up and Sustaining Peer Support Systems in a Range of Schools over 20 Years, Cartwright, N. In Pastoral Care in Education Vol 23, No.2 June 2005 Peer Support Works:A step by step guide to long term success. Cartwright,N. 2007 (Network Continuum Press)