Policy and guidance

Local and national policies and guidance relating to anti-bullying.

Oxfordshire guidance and templates for managing bullying effectively

The Ofsted Common Inspection Framework continues to place an emphasis on the safety and well-being of pupils. The effectiveness of schools leadership and management will be judged on whether they 'actively promote equality and diversity' and “tackle bullying and discrimination”.

Inspectors will want to see:

  • records and analysis of bullying, discriminatory and prejudicial behaviour, either directly or indirectly, including racist, disability and homophobic bullying, use of derogatory language and racist incidents.

Grade descriptors for 'personal development, behaviour and welfare' maintain a strong focus on successful management of bullying including the active involvement of young people.

The DfE statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education emphasises the importance of tackling bullying (including cyberbullying) and also highlights that children with SEND can be disproportionately impacted by bullying LINK (see Special needs and disability bullying). It also states the importance of teaching children to stay safe online and ensuring they don’t access inappropriate material LINK. (see Internet safety and cyberbullying)

As well as filtering and monitoring, school policies should also cover children accessing the internet on their own mobile phones whilst at school. A key theme in the guidance is around peer-on-peer abuse and, in particular, sexual violence and sexual harassment. Peer-on-peer abuse includes bullying, physical abuse, sexual violence and sexual harassment, sexting, and so-called initiation ceremonies. The guidance is very clear that the school’s approach to these issues must be in their policies stating how the risk of peer-on-peer abuse is going to be minimised, how these incidents are recorded, investigated and dealt with and how the victims, and perpetrators, are to be supported.

Using these templates will help schools meet the Ofsted framework 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' statutory guidance and promote the wellbeing of students. They will also help schools meet the requirements of the Equality Act (2010) which places a duty on all public bodies to 'have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and promote equality of opportunity'.

Core Oxfordshire templates, guidance and toolkits for managing bullying effectively.