"People who come to this school should feel safe and happy because
there is a great campaign against bullying. If kids at this school
get bullied, they know there are people who care about
them and who will help make sure it doesn't
happen again."

...Female student

Our secondary school's 890 students come mainly from middle to high income families: primarily Anglo-Celtic with a small percentage of students from Italian, Yugoslav, Asian and Aboriginal backgrounds.

Where It Began... Bullying frequently was subtle, menacing and exclusionary (verbal, psychological and social). This is difficult for staff and carers to identify, but can leave students in fear. Victimised students had a reduced sense of safety and wellbeing as well as reduced school achievement.

Getting Started... The administrators, student services team and staff devised policies and a range of strategies to address these issues.

How We Went About It... Whole school

• An anti-bullying committee was established with administrators, teachers, students and parents.
• An anti-bullying policy for staff, students and parents was published and distributed regularly.
• Year 8 orientation and transition programs included the whole school policy and a "What to do if there's an issue" brochure in each student's folder.
• Students and parents are encouraged to talk to staff if they are experiencing or observing bullying.
  

Pastoral care

• The school's strong student services team - year coordinators, a school psychologist and chaplain - provide both proactive and responsive services for students.
• Middle schooling principles have been utilised to improve transition from primary into secondary school. Students in their first year at secondary school are placed into Learning Teams with a small number of teachers, common classrooms and common student meeting areas. Staff members are able to respond to individual students and relationship issues.
  
  

Peers

• One-week peer support training systems involve most Year 11 students. They in turn provide peer support and develop relationships with Year 8 students at a school camp and also provide activities at lunchtime.

Class

• Class awareness-raising activities aim to counter bullying.

Group

• Group programs to support vulnerable students are run by the chaplain.
• Anger management, case management and counselling are provided by the school psychologist for students involved with persistent bullying or aggression.

Individual incidents

• Students are encouraged through assemblies and newsletters to talk to someone if they are being bullied.
• The Pikas shared concern method is the main response to bullying incidents. Most staff are trained in this response. If a student persists in bullying, the situation becomes a discipline issue.
• Parents are encouraged to talk to staff if their child is being bullied. They are taken seriously and immediate action is taken. Feedback is then given to the parent and the parent is invited to call back if the situation has not changed.
  

What We Are Learning... Results indicate that:

• Teachers are developing better rapport with new students and transition has improved.
• Staff members feel able to deal more confidently with bullying. They are more responsive to bullying issues and being involved in resolving issues.
• Behaviour and attendance rates have improved. For example the school has had only one incident requiring suspension in Year 8 in 12 months.
  

What's Next... The school works on the principle that policies and strategies need continual review and renewal, and that we need to be vigilant and responsive to any new issues in relationships that may develop.

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