Stay Safe and Stop Bullying
Everyone has the right to feel safe, valued and included
At Green Oaks Primary Academy, the safety and wellbeing of every child is at the heart of what we do.
We want Green Oaks to be a school where everyone feels that they belong, differences are celebrated and children are confident that there is always an adult who will listen to them.
We expect everyone in our school community to treat others with kindness, respect and consideration. Bullying, discrimination and deliberately hurtful behaviour have no place at Green Oaks.
Why is tackling bullying important?
Bullying remains an important issue for primary schools nationally. Research from the Anti-Bullying Alliance's United Against Bullying programme, involving schools in England between 2021 and 2024, found that primary-aged pupils do report experiences of repeated or frequent victimisation. The research also found that pupils with SEND and those receiving free school meals were more likely to report being frequently victimised than their peers.
Importantly, the same research found reductions in bullying and victimisation where schools took a sustained, whole-school approach, alongside improvements in pupils' wellbeing. This reinforces our belief that creating a safe school is something we all contribute to, every day.
Recent national research also reminds us that children's sense of safety and belonging at school matters. The Department for Education's 2024/25 National Behaviour Survey specifically considers pupils' enjoyment, safety and sense of belonging as important measures of their experience of school.
What is bullying?
Bullying is behaviour by an individual or group that hurts another person physically or emotionally and is usually repeated over time.
Bullying can take different forms, including:
- Verbal bullying, such as repeated name-calling, insults or hurtful comments
- Physical bullying, such as deliberately hitting, pushing or hurting someone
- Social or relational bullying, such as deliberately and repeatedly excluding someone or spreading rumours about them
- Online bullying, including unkind or threatening behaviour through messages, games, apps or social media
- Prejudicial or discriminatory bullying, where someone is targeted because of who they are, their background, identity, religion, race, disability, SEND or another characteristic
Research with pupils has identified name-calling, saying hurtful things, physical behaviours and deliberately excluding others as forms of victimisation experienced by children.
Bullying or a falling out?
Children will sometimes disagree, fall out or make mistakes in their friendships. Not every disagreement or unkind incident is bullying.
However, this does not mean that one-off incidents are acceptable. We help children to resolve difficulties, understand the impact of their behaviour, repair relationships where appropriate and make better choices.
Where behaviour is deliberately hurtful and repeated, or where there is an imbalance of power which makes it difficult for a child to defend themselves, we take this particularly seriously.
If something is wrong, tell us
At Green Oaks, we want every child to remember one important message:
You do not have to deal with bullying on your own.
If something is happening to you, or you are worried about somebody else:
- Tell a trusted adult in school or at home.
- Tell us even if someone has asked you to keep it a secret.
- If you see someone being treated unkindly, don't just stand by. Get help from an adult.
- Be a good friend and include others.
- Don't retaliate or try to deal with repeated bullying behaviour by yourself.
- If something happens online, tell an adult and do not respond with further unkind messages.
- Keep telling someone until you feel that you have been heard and helped.
You can speak to your class teacher or any trusted adult in school. We will listen and take your concerns seriously.
Being an Ally
At Green Oaks, we want our children to do more than simply avoid being unkind. We teach them to be allies, standing alongside others and speaking up safely when something is wrong.
Being an ally might mean:
Including someone.
Checking that they are OK.
Challenging unkindness safely.
Getting an adult to help.
Celebrating differences.
Choosing kindness.
No child should feel that they have to face bullying alone.
Working Together with Families
Parents and carers are an important part of keeping our children safe.
If you are concerned that your child may be experiencing bullying, displaying bullying behaviour or has witnessed something that concerns them, please talk to us as early as possible.
We will listen carefully, investigate concerns appropriately and work in partnership with children and families to find a positive way forward.