Deputy Principal 

Forming Our Young Men 

The national definition of bullying for Australian schools says:

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. Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.

Behaviours that do not constitute bullying include:

•  mutual arguments and disagreements (where there is no power imbalance).
•  not liking someone or a single act of social rejection.
•  one-off acts of meanness or spite.
•  isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation or violence.

However, these conflicts still need to be addressed and resolved.

Likewise not all online issues are bullying. (Online bullying is sometimes referred to as cyberbullying and refers to bullying that is carried out through information and communication technologies.) (www.bullyingnoway.gov.au)

At St Virgil’s we regularly spend time as a staff reviewing and developing better strategies to educate about, prevent and reponding to bullying behaviour in our school. The first point of call for all students, is to follow the Bully report link on SIMON. Parents are also encouraged to email their son’s Pastoral Care teacher. All students are encouraged to do this so that we can be aware and respond effectively to situations that make them feel unsafe or unhappy.