Bullying is defined as deliberately hurtful behaviour, repeated regularly over a period of time, solely in order to give feeling of power, status or other gratification to the bully.

Children at St. Mark’s C of E Junior School recognise bully as STOP

SEVERAL TIMES ON PURPOSE

Cyber bullying affects people from any age or walk of life, including children, teens and adults who all feel very distressed and alone when being bullied online.  Cyber bullying can make you feel totally helpless and you are unsure of who to turn to or how you can get help.

Our school has a responsibility to protect you from bullying, even if it happens offsite, online or over the phone. If you are concerned about any messages, use 'Print Screen' to take a copy of the page. You can then email this to me at deputy@st-marks.gloucs.sch.uk

Where appropriate, we use restorative justice to find an appropriate resolution for all concerned. If you wish to find out more about this process, there are some useful links below.

Restorative Solutions
Restorative Justice Council

Restorative Justice for Schools

Keeping Safe on line - Top Tips

Don't respond: Never get involved in arguments online, as this will only escalate the situation and make it much worse.

Block the bullies: You can easily prevent cyber bullies from being able to contact you by following our cyber safe settings.

Increase your privacy: Unfortunately, some people use the internet to cause harm to others. Don't let this small group ruin your experience, but be sensible with the information you share. Follow our privacy guidelines to keep yourself protected.   

Respect your online presence: It is easy to forget that the cyber world is the real world, and what you share online can have huge consequences. It is therefore so important that you always think before you post!

During February, we have run some very successful activities in class highlighting the dangers online and how to keep you safe. It is increasingly evident that despite the age restriction on social media sites, there are significant numbers of pupils, particularly Year 6 who have access to sites such as Instagram. We have had several concerns passed on to us in recent weeks with regards to how these chat rooms are being used by children as well as some of the content that they are being exposed to. Furthermore, there are children who have not set appropriate privacy settings or are accepting strangers as friends. Whilst we commend the children for their honesty, there are some pupils who are engaging the internet with some risky behaviour.

We encourage the children to speak to someone if they are concerned about the content and we ask that parents monitor the usage through either checking devices regularly or create an account which allows you to view the content that your child is engaging in.

As school, we have a duty of care to all our children, both in school time and whilst away from the school site. Where concerns are raised and passed on to us, we will then engage with parents and work with the children. Additional information is available on the school website. If there is any content that you feel the school needs to be aware of, please forward a screen shot to deputy@st-marks.gloucs.sch.uk

INTERNET MATTERS

On the newsletter we have included a check list with the intention of supporting parents in keeping their children safe online during the summer. There are some really useful tips and advice as well as links with more details. Please click the link below.

Internet Matters