The destructive behaviour of bullying is evident in one form or another. It affects many children in varying degrees. Bullying slowly kills its victims, battering their self-esteem, destroying their belief in themselves and changing their personalities. They feel insecure, depressed, helpless and in severe cases, suicidal. In extreme cases they are unable to realise their full potential.
If bullying is not dealt with it could easily build up to a point where the victims become so depressed that they do one of two things: lash out at someone or hurt themselves.
We need to know what bullying is before we can deal with it. There are two components that constitute bullying behaviour:
- Bullying is an abuse of power – a bully has power and control over a victim who feels helpless to deal with the situation.
- Bullying is an ongoing and repetitive pattern of harassment and abuse.
It is also important for PRETIUM PRIVATE SCHOOL to address the issue of the “Code of Silence” – students must feel empowered to disclose issues of bullying.
To this end PRETIUM PRIVATE SCHOOL aim to establish a community in which everyone feels valued and safe, where individual differences are appreciated, understood and accepted. Every student has a right to enjoy their time at school.
PRETIUM PRIVATE SCHOOL does not tolerate bullying or harassment. Respect for other is expected.
PRETIUM PRIVATE SCHOOL expects a high standard of behaviour at all times and aims to provide a safe and caring environment for everyone.
At PRETIUM PRIVATE SCHOOL everyone has rights and responsibilities:
| Rights | Responsibilities |
| To be different | To show compassion and understanding |
| To feel safe | To respect yourself |
| To learn and grow | To respect others |
| To be respected | To use common sense |
| To be valued | To support others |
Bullying comes in many forms, including:
- Calling hurtful names
- Being picked on
- Deliberately punching, hitting, bumping
- Teasing
- Spreading rumours about someone
- Mocking
- Repeatedly putting someone down
- Threatening
- Deliberately ignoring and avoiding someone
- Taking or damaging property
If a student is being bullied – he / she should:
- Tell the bully to stop by stating clearly that the behaviour is unwelcome.
- Walk away and stay away from the bully.
- Seek help – tell someone they trust or report it to a staff member. The school does not tolerate bullying and students can feel confident that any incident can be resolved satisfactory – there is nothing so awful that we can’t talk to someone about it.
Students should understand that bullying is viewed by PRETIUM PRIVATE SCHOOL as a very serious offence and the sanction according to the Student Disciplinary Procedure and Code is suspension followed by a hearing which could result in expulsion from PRETIUM PRIVATE SCHOOL.