Must read: Awareness is key in making Dubai schools bully-free

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Picture used for illustrative purposes alone
Picture used for illustrative purposes alone

Good schools identify potential bullying opportunities such as break times and lesson changeovers and ensure that these are well-supervised.

By Julian Pederick,Vice-Principal at Ranches Primary School

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Published: Sun 16 Oct 2016, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Mon 17 Oct 2016, 1:45 AM

With studies revealing that up to 70 per cent of schoolchildren will have experienced some form of bullying before they reach the age of 18, it would be naive of any school to claim that bullying does not exist in their establishment. Initial acceptance must then lead to a proactive, well-planned and consistently-implemented policy based on education, prevention, identification and resolution.
Firstly, pupils and parents need to made aware of what qualifies as bullying (and equally important, what does not). This is achieved at Ranches Primary School through regular reinforcement for the pupils, usually as part of the school's PSHE programme, and is available as information to parents as part of our readily-accessible Anti Bullying Policy Statement. Clear and high expectations with regards to pupils' behaviour (as stated in the school's Behaviour Policy) can prevent many problems before they arise.
Good schools identify potential bullying opportunities such as break times and lesson changeovers and ensure that these are well-supervised.
Should the need arise, pupils and parents need to be aware of exactly how to report a potential bullying case and the school needs to respond swiftly (following the stated guidelines) with a decision as to whether they believe there is a case to answer. Unfortunately, the advent of cyber bullying has added a new sinister dimension to this as it can allow the bully to conceal their identity.
The last stage in the process involves implementing the action required to stop the reoccurrence of the bullying. It is crucial that this is accompanied by steps designed to support not only the victim but also the bully.
Whilst it is accepted that no school will ever be 100 per cent bully-free, it is also clear that well-informed pupils and parents, coupled with open communication and a zero tolerance approach to all form of bullying from all stakeholders can most definitely minimise these unpleasant incidences within in our schools.


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