Bullying Welsh Baccalaureate – Motor Vehicle Personal & Social Education Element 1 positive relationships

Definition of bullying ‘a physical, psychological or verbal attack against an individual or group of individuals by a person or group of persons, causing physical or psychological harm to the victim’ (Don’t suffer in silence: DfES )

Different types of bullying have 3 things in common: they involve deliberately hurtful behaviour they are repeated over time they involve an unfair balance of power, which makes it hard for those being bullied to defend themselves.

Anyone can be bullied on the grounds of: Real or perceived differences Socio- economic status Race Nationality Gender Religion Disability Language Sexual orientation

Targeted groups Racist bullying Faith based bullying Sexual/ sexist bullying Homophobic bullying Disability bullying

Different types of bullying Physical Verbal Indirect Cyber

Signs of bullying Developing unexplained bruises Selective absences Feeling unwell often Missing or damaged equipment, clothing or personal possessions Stopping eating Poor concentration Becoming aggressive rude or out of character Frequent lost money Self harming behaviours

Who is a bully ? Feel inadequate Low self esteem Difficulties in expressing feelings- avoids taking responsibility for behaviour Good at putting on a front May often been bullied themselves Can benefit from counselling

Fact : By the age of 24yrs 60% of children who bully would have a criminal conviction.

Common myths and misperceptions of bullying There is no bullying here Bullying toughens you up Stand up for yourself Ignore it and it will go away It is part of life and do you just have to accept it

Facts… Ever year 40,000 young people telephone help- lines about bullying 1 in every 2 school exclusions and 46% of school non –attendance is in some way related to bullying 20% of victims suffer long term damage

Facts… Bullying worsens social exclusion and has a damaging effect on educational attainment. More than one in five severely bullied children will attempt to take their own lives.

Bullying can cause Poor concentration and memory Depression and Anxiety Loss of confidence/ self worth Sleeplessness Loss of appetite Fatigue Bullying can cause intense damage, both psychological and physical

Bullycide Bullycide is a recently coined term which refers to the act of a youth committing suicide as a direct result from being bullied.

Little flowers I shall remember forever and will never forget Monday: my money was taken. Tuesday: names called. Wednesday: my uniform torn. Thursday: my body pouring with blood. Friday: it's ended. Saturday: freedom. The final diary pages of 13-year- old Vijay Singh. He was found hanging from the banister rail at his home on Sunday.

Gender differences Evidence at primary school age shows no significant difference in types of bullying In secondary Schools more physical bullying was found in boys with girls reporting higher levels of sexualised bullying (Childline 2003) Mixed research seems to indicate that there maybe preferred methods of bullying between male and females but it is not always as stereo- typical as we may expect.

Gender differences Australian research reported in May found that girls reported being teased, threatened and hit more than boys and boys said they were left out more than girls- a reversal of the stereotypical bullying behaviours of the two genders.

Educational settings Need to consider whether their approaches take into account the range of bullying behaviours that all their learners can exhibit and have in place strategies that are effective and inclusive to all.