Anti-bullying Policy

iBOS Anti-bullying Policy The aims of our school are:

• A school where teachers, staff, and students are expected to support and extend the atmosphere of respect, courtesy, the love of learning and the value of friendship that is held dear at iBOS.
• iBOS aims to develop students to become well-rounded individuals. We aim to empower our students with the best tools and resources, making them capable in following and achieving their dreams, to become valued members of our global societies, and to allow them to make a positive difference to the world, wherever they choose to progress to.
• Students leave iBOS prepared for university. They are confident, contributing, and caring members of the global community and they have embraced the challenge of our specialised education. They will have gained the values that equip them to make a positive contribution.

Responsibility of: The Principal

Date Ratified: 02 July 2025

Review Date: 02 July 2026

At iBOS, we are committed to providing all our students with a safe, respectful, caring and learning environment. Our inclusive ethos centres on respecting one another and learning about what makes us all different. No form of bullying will be tolerated in our school. Bullying in all its forms is devastating and has effects that can reach well into adulthood. We will deal with all incidents of bullying quickly and decisively. By eliminating bullying, we will help create a thriving school At iBOS, we have measures to encourage good behaviour and prevent bullying amongst students. The measures form part of the school’s Behaviour Policy, which is available online to all students’ parents and teachers. What is Bullying Bullying is defined as any act, verbal or physical, that makes someone feel degraded, intimidated or physically in danger. It can be committed by an individual or a group of people and is a repeated or habitual ongoing issue. Please note that one-off incidents will not be classified as bullying and will be handled separately on a case-by-case basis. Bullying behaviour can take many forms including:

• Physical bullying which can include kicking, hitting, pushing and taking away belongings;
• Verbal bullying which includes name-calling, mocking and making offensive comments;
• Emotional bullying which includes isolating an individual or spreading rumors about them;
• Cyber-bullying where technology is used to hurt an individual – for instance, text messaging or posting messages/images on the internet or any form of social media;
• Racist bullying occurs when bullying is motivated by racial, ethnic or cultural prejudice.
• Sexual bullying is when someone makes unwanted physical contact or makes sexually abusive comments.
• Homophobic and biphobic bullying occur when bullying is motivated by a prejudice against lesbian, gay or bisexual people.
• Transphobic bullying occurs when bullying is motivated by a prejudice against people who identify as transgender.
• Disablist bullying occurs when bullying is motivated by a prejudice against people with any form of disability.
• Sexist bullying occurs when bullying is motivated by a prejudice against someone because of their gender. Bullying at iBOS can be classified as:
• Verbal
• Online (cyber) bullying Bullying is not limited to face-to-face interactions. Harmful behaviour via digital platforms (including social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, and image sharing) is equally serious and must be reported and addressed in line with this policy. The Equality Act 2010 requires schools to prevent discrimination, harassment and victimisation based on protected characteristics, including disability, race, sex, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment and pregnancy/maternity. Cyberbullying can take the form of using electronic media, such as social media sites, texts and

blogs and sharing derogatory media such as photos to spread lies and rumours. iBOS is aware there is an increased risk of cyberbullying using e-mails, instant messenger, social networking sites, and public websites inappropriately. Therefore, our school has a separate an ICT and E- Safety Policy. By signing the iBOS Parent Contract, parents agree to the acceptable use of these policies. How we prevent bullying at iBOS We will immediately investigate any reports of bullying, where we find there is an issue and will immediately contact the parents of the students involved in the incident. We will arrange to talk to all students involved and where necessary disciplinary action will be taken against the perpetrators. We make it very clear to all students that bullying will not be tolerated at iBOS. Bullying prevention at iBOS includes proactive educational approaches as well as reactive interventions. All staff are trained to recognise early signs of distress or peer-on-peer abuse. Prevention is delivered through our curriculum (e.g. PSHE, RSHE), assemblies, digital safety education and school culture initiatives that promote kindness, respect and personal responsibility. How will we approach incidents of bullying amongst our students?

• We will talk to the students involved, separately and to any witnesses to obtain their accounts of the event.
• We will find out exactly what the cause of the incident was and work out a way to stop it from reoccurring.
• If we cannot find a mutually acceptable remedy between students, we will seek to contact the parents of both the aggressor and the person being bullied.
• We will ask the person who has been bullying to reflect on their actions we will ask them to apologise to the person they have bullied.
• We will monitor the situation closely to ensure the bullying stops immediately.
• Complete records of the bullying incidents will be kept on school files whilst the student is at iBOS.
• Staff who are informed of the issue will be asked to provide a written account of the incident which will be kept on file.
• Where safeguarding concerns are identified, the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) will be informed immediately. Cases will be managed in accordance with KCSIE 2024 and referred to external agencies where required.

Principal’s Responsibilities

The Principal will have oversight of iBOS’ Antibullying Policy and will implement it effectively in our school. The Senior Leadership Team will have the day-to-day responsibility for the strategy on antibullying. They will be responsible for ensuring the policy is enforced and reviewed regularly. They will also be responsible for the following actions:

• Monitoring bullying issues - They will be mindful of the bullying of students of different

backgrounds, races or religions.

• Ensure staff are fully trained on the anti-bullying policy. Staff will be equipped to deal with bullying by having regular training sessions and will be aware of the signs to be watchful for.
• Reporting – Regular reports will be made on the effectiveness of the antibullying policy and recommendations for changes will be implemented from these reports.
• Website – We will keep the website updated with the latest information on this policy.

All Staff and Volunteers’ Responsibilities

• Know and follow all relevant policies and procedures.
• Keep clear records of bullying on the school’s secure system.
• Be aware and talk to students.
• Never let any incidence of bullying pass by unreported.
• Take action to reduce the risk of bullying at all times and in places where it is most likely to occur.

Online Bullying

The use of the internet and mobile telephones to bully online is a very serious matter and can constitute a criminal offence. In the United Kingdom, there are criminal laws that can apply in terms of harassment or threatening and menacing communications which would apply to students at secondary school age. The wider search powers included in the Education Act 2011 and the Department for Education (2022) document titled ‘Searching, Screening and Confiscation.’ Gives teachers stronger powers to tackle online bullying by providing a specific power to search for and, if necessary, delete inappropriate images (or files) on electronic devices, including mobile phones. When the member of staff conducting the search finds an electronic device, they may examine the device for inappropriate content if they think there is a good reason to do so. Following an examination, if the member of staff decides to return the device to the owner, or to retain or dispose of it. They may erase any content if they think there is a good reason to do so. The staff member must reasonably suspect that the content on the device in question has been, or could be, used to cause harm, disrupt teaching, or break the school rules. All school staff are aware that behaviours linked to sexting put a child in danger. The Designated Safeguarding Lead should be notified if it is suspected that sexting has taken place. S/he will make any subsequent decision concerning the viewing of content on an electronic device. Further guidance about sexting is included within this section of the policy. At iBOS we will deal with reported cases of online bullying in the following ways:

• Support the student being bullied.
• Give reassurance that the student has done the right thing by telling someone.
• Make sure the student reporting the issue knows not to retaliate or return the message and will ask the victim to think about what information might be available on the internet.
• Help the student to keep relevant evidence for any investigation (e.g. by not deleting messages/files they’ve received and by taking screen capture shots and noting web addresses of online cyberbullying instances). Check that the student understands simple ways to prevent it from happening again, e.g. by changing contact details, blocking contacts or leaving a chat room. Please ask for advice if you require help with technical aspects.

• Take action to contain the incident when content has been circulated.
• If we know who the student responsible is, ask them to remove the content after we have had the opportunity to capture screenshots and witness content where possible.
• Contact the host (e.g. the social networking site) to make a report to get the content taken down.
• In cases of illegal content, contact the police, who can determine what needs to be kept for evidential purposes. All incidents of cyberbullying are logged on the school’s secure safeguarding system. The school reserves the right to take action for online abuse that occurs outside school hours or off school premises if it affects the wellbeing or safety of any student or member of staff. How will iBOS respond to an incident of Sexting? The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) have produced guidance for schools on how to respond to the following incidents:
• Person under 18 creates a sexual image of themselves and shares it with another person under 18.
• A person under 18 shares an image of another under 18 with another person under 18 or an adult.
• A person under 18 is in possession of sexual imagery created by another person under 18. The Designated Safeguarding Lead at iBOS will oversee any incidents which meet the criteria outlined above and all actions taken will be taken in line with the UKCCIS guidance. The guidance states that ‘schools may want to invoke their own disciplinary measures to discourage young people from sharing, creating or receiving images...’ iBOS will put in place consequences for serious misconduct for any student who is found to have demonstrated behaviour that meets the above criteria. Persistent offenders will receive consequences in line with our anti-bullying policy. Guidance for Pupils If you believe you or someone else is the victim of cyber-bullying, you must speak to an adult as soon as possible. This person could be a parent/guardian, or a member of staff on your safety network. Other guidance includes:
• Do not answer abusive messages but save them and report them.
• Do not delete anything until it has been shown to your parents/carers or a member of staff at school (even if it is upsetting, the material is important evidence that may need to be used later as proof of cyberbullying).
• Do not give out personal details or contact information without the permission of a parent/guardian (personal data).
• Be careful who you allow to become a friend online and think about what information you want them to see.
• Protect your passwords. Do not share them with anyone else and change them regularly.
• Always log off from the computer when you have finished or if you leave the computer for any reason.
• Always put the privacy filters on the sites you use. If you are not sure how to do this, ask a teacher or your parents.
• Never reply to abusive e-mails.
• Never reply to someone you do not know.

• Always stay in public areas in chat rooms.
• The school will deal with cyberbullying in the same way as other forms of bullying. Do not think that because it is online it is any less significant or will be treated any differently.
• The school will deal with inappropriate use of technology in the same way as other types of inappropriate behaviour and sanctions will be given in line with the school’s Behaviour Policy. Safeguarding and Bullying: Bullying behaviour, particularly where it includes physical assault, sexualised behaviour, coercion, or discrimination, may also constitute a safeguarding issue. All staff must follow the Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and immediately refer concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). Peer-on-peer abuse, including bullying, must be treated with the same level of concern as other safeguarding risks. Staff must not dismiss abuse as “banter”, “just having a laugh” or “part of growing up” (KCSIE 2024). Guidance for Parents/Carers Parents/carers and the school must work together to ensure that all pupils are aware of the serious consequences of getting involved in anything that might be seen as cyber-bullying. Parents/carers must play their role and take responsibility for monitoring their child’s online life. This includes:
• Parents/carers can help by making sure their child understands the school’s Anti- Bullying Policy and, above all, how seriously the school takes incidents of cyber-bullying.
• Parents/carers should also explain to their children legal issues relating to cyber-bullying.
• If parents/carers believe their child is the victim of cyber-bullying, they should save the offending material (if need be, by saving the offensive text on their computer or their child’s mobile phone) and make sure they have all relevant information before deleting anything.
• Parents/carers should contact the school as soon as possible.
• If the incident falls during the holidays the school reserves the right to take action against bullying perpetrated outside the school both in and out of term time. The school will ensure parents/carers are informed of the Anti-Bullying Policy and actions to be taken in the event of an incident. Monitoring and Review The Anti-Bullying Policy is reviewed annually, or earlier in response to changes in statutory guidance. Bullying data and incident logs are monitored by the Senior Leadership Team and reported to governors as part of safeguarding oversight.