A SCHOOL in north Wiltshire is leading the way in tackling bullying.

Working with the Anti-Bullying Alliance, Lea and Garsdon Church of England Primary School have updated their anti-bullying policy and the changes are working wonders.

The school was part of a national campaign to tackle bullying of all young people, with a particular focus on disabled children and those with special educational needs (SEN).

Although the school already had an anti-bullying policy, staff said they had noticed that the definition of bullying was not always understood by children.

After headteacher Kay Vousden attended the training event, the school decided to review their policy, including the definition of bullying, to ensure anti-bullying messages were integrated as part of their pupils’ education.

The role of pupils in delivering and monitoring anti-bullying activities was also increased.

They wanted to ensure that enough focus was given to supporting the more vulnerable children in the school including those with SEND.

Kay Vousden believes the training was a valuable experience. “We hope that all children will understand what we mean by bullying and the difference between that and friendship issues,” she said.

“[It is important] that the children know what to do if they feel bullied or feel that another person is being bullied.

“Our anti-bullying message will support our value of inclusion, so that everyone feels included, even if they are different in some way.”

One change to policy at Lea and Garsdon was an increase in the recording of incidents of bullying, with a greater emphasis on recording how incidents were resolved and the outcome for those children involved.

Incidents are now followed up after six and 12 weeks with the pupils involved, with notes added to the recording form.

Having implemented the changes into school policy, Kay says pupils have already started benefiting.

“In recent questionnaires we had a great reduction in the number of children saying they had been bullied this year compared to the last two,” she explained.

“When discussing issues with children, all the staff are now using a common language to talk about bullying and when our anti-bullying working party asks the children about their experiences all the children seem to be clear.”

The school plan to conduct further surveys during the summer term to ensure that the learning is retained and positive views from pupils and parents are maintained over a longer period.

Wiltshire Council is one of 12 local authorities working with the Anti-Bullying Alliance to encourage and support schools to take part in the SEND Anti-Bullying Champions Programme that Lea and Garsdon took part in.

It has driven the programme providing guidance, training and extra resources to help with anti-bullying policies and support.

Richard Gamble, Wiltshire Council portfolio holder for schools, said: “Every child has a right to feel safe and supported at school and it’s important we work together to ensure that message is embedded into every school culture.

“Congratulations to all the schools who have taken up this important issue and with our support created an effective solution for their school.”

During 2017 the council will invite all schools to take part in a pupil survey to collect feedback from young people about their experiences and monitor progress. The council will continue to collect evidence of good practice, as part of the Wiltshire Healthy Schools programme.