Wellbeing News
We are proud to be part of a school that's all about inclusivity! This Bullying No Way Week we aim to reaffirm our commitment to kindness, respect and making sure everyone feels like they belong.
It takes courage to spark change.
Bullying is everyone’s responsibility. It takes a community to be brave and address bullying behaviours, within and beyond the school gate.
Students can be bold, kind and speak up to support others being bullied. Trusted adults are there to support children and young people as they learn how to be kind to each other and report bullying.
This Bullying No Way Week, we’re asking students, schools, families and communities to be bold and say something, be kind and support someone, and be proud to speak up against bullying. Students will be exploring how they can Be Bold, Be Kind and Speak Up every day next week.
At home, there are many things that families can do to support their child.
Know what bullying is...and what it isn't. Someone being mean isn't always bullying.
Bullying Behaviours:
- Are aggressive, unkind or mean behaviours that are one-sided
- Are repeated behaviours (it must happen multiple times, in an ongoing way to be defined as bullying)
- Happen on purpose/are deliberate (i.e. aren't accidental for instance)
- Must have a power imbalance – which means that people bullying and the people being bullied aren’t seen as being ‘equal’, or the person being bullied would have a hard time standing up for themself or fighting back, e.g. older, bigger people picking on smaller, younger people, or ‘popular’ people targeting someone who they see as being ‘unpopular’, or a group targeting one person
Causes harm - this can be physical (e.g. bruises), psychological (e.g. distress) or social (e.g. losing friends)
Bullying is not the same as
- Being rude – saying or doing something hurtful that wasn’t planned or meant to hurt someone, e.g. someone pushing in front of you in the canteen line
- Being mean – doing something hurtful to someone on purpose once or twice, e.g. a friend refusing to hang out with you one day
- Conflict – there's a disagreement, both sides are aggressive/mean and there's no power imbalance (both sides can 'stand up' for themselves or fight back), e.g. two friends getting into an argument or fight and saying mean things to each other
- Respectful feedback on behaviours you're doing that aren’t ok, e.g. “It’s not ok roll your eyes every time they talk about sport.”
- A friend putting in a ‘boundary’ e.g. “I don't like it when you keep telling me what to do.”
- Natural consequences in socialising, e.g. a friend not trusting you because you shared their secret
Understanding the Types of bullying
Bullying can be direct (happening to your face) or indirect (happening 'behind your back'). Bullying can also be super obvious and observable (‘overt’), or subtle and hard to prove (‘covert’). There are a few different types of bullying, including:
Verbal bullying – using words to make you feel upset, angry, embarrassed, etc. E.g. teasing, name calling, yelling, etc.
Physical bullying – stuff that hurts or harms your body, e.g. kicking, tripping, hitting. Physical bullying can also include things like damaging your possessions.
Cyber bullying– stuff like mean texts, emails, posts, images or videos. Find out how eSafety can help if you experience cyberbullying and how you can report a complaint.
Social bullying – stuff done to hurt your reputation. It can be verbal, like spreading rumours or playing mean jokes, or non-verbal like pretending not to hear a person when they speak or leaving them out.
Have the conversation with your child.
Families play an important role in helping children understand bullying and know how to respond to it.
If your child tells you about things at school, or you observe something in public that involves conflict or bullying, take the opportunity to talk about what bullying is. You could aim to have a time each day to chat with your child about the good and bad parts of the day.
Questions you could ask:
- What do you think bullying is?
- Have you seen it? How did you feel?
- Have you ever felt scared at school because of bullying?
- As well as me, who are the other adults you would talk to when it comes to things like bullying?
- Have you or your friends left other kids out on purpose? Do you think that was bullying? Why or why not?
- Have you ever tried to help someone who is being bullied? What happened? What would you do if it happens again?
Remind your child that bullying is never okay and discuss how they can respond safely if they experience or witness it.
Encourage them to seek help from a trusted adult and inform your child's classroom teacher of any concerns that you have.
By promoting open communication, we empower children to stand up against bullying and create a safer environment where everyone can feel that they belong.
There is a lot of information and support available to help prevent and address bullying. Please see some of the excellent resources below for further information:
