Anti-bullying Policy

All children and young people in Merthyr Tydfil should have the opportunities they need to fulfil their potential, including the right to learn in a safe and protective environment free from racism, bullying or discrimination of any kind.

The damaging effects of bullying are long term and far-reaching, impacting upon personal and social development as well as educational achievement. Bullying takes place in all schools to some degree. Unfortunately there will always be a small number of young people who wish to victimise or bully another individual, for whatever reason.

We know that bullying happens, but preventing it can present a huge challenge. That is why we need to work together to tackle bullying in schools. Children and young people need to learn that bullying is wrong and that they should respect others.

We have produced an anti-bullying strategy for Merthyr Tydfil whose main objectives are to:

• Reduce the frequency of bullying;
• Increase the likelihood that incidents are disclosed to responsible adults
• Intervene effectively when bullying happens.

To achieve these objectives, the strategy aims to:

• Provide a model anti-bullying policy and guidance for schools including establishing effective procedures for recording and dealing with bullying incidents.
• Collect information about incidents of bullying in our schools to inform future policy development.
• Support schools in tackling bullying issues, for example directly through existing support such as Behaviour Support Teachers and Inclusion Officers or referrals to other external agencies.
• Establish a mechanism for raising awareness of bullying issues, including sharing effective practice and useful resources.

You can download a copy of the anti-bullying strategy which is available below.

If you are worried about your child being bullied you can find further advice and guidance about dealing with bullying in the anti-bullying strategy.

If you are a child being bullied you can find help and support in the anti-bullying strategy.

The draft strategy also contains a list of helpful resources and organisations covering a range of bullying issues, including cyber bullying.