From the Deputy Principal
Caroline Wilson-Haffenden
Bullying No Way | National week of action
This week marks Bullying No Way: National week of action (12–16 August), which is an opportunity to highlight the important roles that school, family and community play in helping young people feel accepted, respected and that they have a sense of belonging.
The theme for 2024 is 'Everyone belongs'. For a genuine sense of belonging to prevail, it is important that we respect everyone’s differences and seek to build an inclusive, trusting environment where quality relationships develop and thrive.
The message is quite clear: every member of the College community has the right to feel safe and valued. Bullying is not OK. It's not simply 'a normal part of growing up' and help is always available to make things better.
What is bullying?
The national definition of bullying for Australian schools is:
Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening.
Bullying can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert).
Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital records).
Bullying of any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.
What is not bullying?
There are many negative situations which, whilst being potentially distressing for students, are not bullying. These include mutual conflict situations, one-off acts of aggression or meanness, and social rejection or dislike.
What about bystanders?
Most concerning is the fact that in 85 per cent of bullying incidents, peers are bystanders. A bystander is a person who witnesses a bullying incident as an onlooker. If you are a bystander who encourages bullying behaviours, or if you witness bullying and do not report the incident, your behaviour is part of the bullying cycle.
What are signs of bullying?
Behavioural changes in a student may be indicative of bullying. Such behavioural changes may include:
- Crying at night and having nightmares
- Refusing to talk when asked, 'What's wrong?'
- Having unexplained cuts, bruises or scratches
- An unwillingness or refusal to go to school
- Feeling ill in the morning
- A decline in the quality of work
- Becoming withdrawn and lacking confidence
- Beginning to bully siblings
- Acting unreasonably
In the event of bullying behaviour students are encouraged to walk away and talk to someone such as a staff member, parent/carer or wellbeing coach. Similarly, when a student sees others being bullied, they are strongly encouraged to take a stand against the bullying behaviour by speaking to a staff member or parent/carer. Reports of bullying at St Mary's College will be followed up with appropriate consequences for the student, which will involve dialogue with parents and carers.
At the Senior School Assembly this morning, students were presented with the following questions sourced from the Bullying No Way website (the answers are in bold). The results, which are drawn from national statistics, may surprise you.
What percentage of student's report being bullied at school?
- 5%
- 10%
- 15%
- 20%
What is the estimated percentage of students who do not report bullying incidents?
- 10%
- 20%
- 60%
- 80%
Which form of bullying is most commonly reported among students?
- Physical bullying
- Verbal bullying
- Cyberbullying
- Social exclusion
How often do bystanders intervene in bullying situations?
- 10% of the time
- 25% of the time
- 50% of the time
- 75% of the time
In closing, there are a wide range of resources available to support school communities. Please see below for a list of websites that provide a useful starting point for families.
https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/support-and-advice/for-families