Welcome to Beyond Bullying Teachers Section

Hello to all you educational professionals out there and congratulations on finding the Leicestershire Anti-Bullying Strategy Team's web resource for schools.

What Can This Section Offer Schools?

The Anti-Bullying Team have already been busy in the County, working with and listening to Head Teachers, Teachers and Students to reduce bullying in schools.

In this section we hope to provide school staff with:

• background information on bullying
• support materials (including guidance and resources to download)
• information and links to other sources of information on bullying in schools, including resources for the classroom
• information on recent LEA initiatives to reduce bullying
• ideas on proactive approaches to reduce bullying as well as reactive strategies to resolve incidents after they have occurred
• dates and information on future conferences and training events organised by the Leicestershire County Council and Nationwide

In the future we hope to open discussion forums that will enable you to share ideas and concerns whilst celebrating successful practice.

Who are we?

The Anti-Bullying Strategy Team

The Anti-Bullying Strategy Team are based within the Educational Psychology Service at the Leicestershire County Council. The team consists of Caroline Harbison, Anti-Bullying Strategy Development Officer who has a Youth Offending background. The team also includes Caroline Trimingham, Phil Harbour and Helen Phillips, all Educational Psychologists within the Educational Psychology Service.

All of the team work within the Educational Psychology Service and are able to call upon the expertise of the department as and when required. Bullying is one of the three priorities identified by the Service and as a result all Educational Psychologists are committed to working in partnership with the Anti-Bullying Strategy Team. We are available to work with schools on issues involving bullying, however, we do not have a remit to become directly involved with individual cases.

MEET THE TEAM . . .

Caroline Harbison B.A., B.Sc., M.Sc.

Caroline has a background in Youth Offending and Preventative Work with young people and joined Rob in September 2005.

Ben Robinson

Ben has recently taken up post within the Anti-Bullying Team as part-time Anti-Bullying Development Officer. He has a background in residential social work and a specific interest in cyber bullying.

Robert Higgs

Robert has also recently joined the Team as part-time Anti-Bullying Development Officer. The rest of Robert's time is spent writing and performing anti-bullying plays in schools across the country.

Caroline Trimingham B.A (Hons), P.G.C.E, M.Sc, Educational Psychology

Caroline joined the team in April 2004. She has taught at Primary and Secondary level.

Phil Harbour B.Sc., P.G.C.E., M.Sc.

Phil joined the team as an Educational Psychologist in September 2005. He has taught at secondary level for four years.

Helen Clifford B.Sc., P.G.C.E., M.Sc.

Helen joined the Team in September 2005 as an Educational Psychologist and has taught in primary schools in Leicester.

PRIORITIES

• to reduce the level of bullying in schools;
• to support the 'Every Child Matters' agenda and promote safer schools and communities;
• to involve the whole school community;
• to change attitudes of the wider community to share responsibility for creating a violence free society;
• to place bullying within the context of inclusion and students' emotional health and well being.

ACTION PLAN 2006/9

• Provide guidance, support and training for schools (including library and web site).
• Raise awareness in schools and community and develop a media and publicity strategy.
• pilot initiatives across County.
• Share and promote good practice locally and nationally.

The Anti-Bullying Strategy

Providing Training, Support and Guidance for Schools

• Revised guidance.
• Sample school policies/ pro-formas/successful practice.
• Support materials e.g.Effective Strategies, posters.
• Library of resources and a web site (you're on it!) for school and community use.
• Customised support for individual schools to revise and develop policies.
• Courses and training e.g.policy development, Peer Support, School Councils, Homophobic Bullying, Peaceful Playgrounds, Support for Victims & Bullies (Pikas Shared Concern Method).
• Develop partnerships with local and national specialists such as DfES, CRISP, Childline and NSPCC.

Raising Awareness in the School Community

• Consultations with students, parents and staff
• Various conferences and seminars
• Leicestershire Anti-Bullying Week

Media and Publicity Strategy

• Work with Anti-Bullying Alliance (National umbrella organisation) .
• Support "Make the Difference" DfES Initiative. Involved in Regional conferences around the country.
• Develop annual Anti-Bullying week from Nov. 2004
• Liaise with local media to share good practice, raise community awareness and make bullying socially unacceptable.
• Web site from Autumn 2004 - www.beyondbullying.com (Hooray - it's arrived!)

Pilot Schemes

• R Time (trialled first at Grove Primary Autumn 2003). Now in 40+ schools and supported by the EPS and The Children's Fund
• T Time for High Schools developed (as part of KS3/4 Behaviour Strategy.)
• Involvement of students in decision making. Student Consultation conferences repeated on a regular basis.
• Research into Year 3 pupils' concepts of bullying at Melton (March 2003) - extending work to other areas.
• Peer Support Training for Primary and Secondary schools
• Persona Dolls in Early Years settings.
• Ciculation of 'Throwing Stones' - an anti-racist bullying resource.

Sharing and Promoting Good Practice Locally and Nationally

• Links with the Anti-Bullying Alliance
• Raise awareness of and develop "Anti-Bullying Charter" in conjunction with DfES and ABA.
• Annual Anti-Bullying Weeks
• Work in partnership with local & regional agencies.
• Creation of a database of all schools to identify successful strategies and good practice - later to be detailed on Beyond Bullying!
• www.beyondbullying.com (of course!)

What Support Can We Offer Your School?

We have been developing programmes to offer schools and continue to to so. Please don't hesitate to contact us to discuss your needs and we will be happy to arrange something for you.

We can support schools by:

1) Working with schools to develop, evaluate and review their anti-bullying policies and practices. This could involve working alongside the Head/Principal, Senior Management Team, Governors or the whole staff. We are also available to meet with School Councils.
2) Providing guidance, information, model policies, pro-formas, posters, books etc.
3) From September 1st an on-line resource:
www.beyondbullying.com
This web site will provide information/ guidance/ support for students, schools and parents.
You've found it!!!!!!
4) Providing training courses for staff/students in such areas as Peer Support, School Councils, Persona Dolls, R Time/T Time, Positive Playtimes, Circle Time, The Shared Concern Method (SCm) - Pikas approach, No Blame Approach etc
5) Developing new initiatives in partnership with voluntary/ charitable organisations such as Childline, Kidscape, CRISP and NSPCC etc. (For example the development of R Time in schools.)
6) Supporting schools in the planning and development of an Anti-Bullying Week/Day in school.
7) Sharing successful practice both locally and nationally.
8) Holding conferences on issues related to bullying. Three conferences have already been successfully organised in the last 12 months.
9) Working with the PSHE&C. Co-ordinators and Healthy Schools Co-ordinators in the area of Emotional Health and Well-being.
10) Addressing the issue of Bullying outside school in the Community (e.g. transport, police involvement etc.)
11) Keeping you up to date with new legislation, funding opportunities and national initiatives via the Anti- Bullying Alliance.
12) Promoting the work of schools in the community via a media strategy including our web-site.
13) Raising awareness in the community and developing strategies to increase their involvement and participation in reducing bullying.

Contact Us

Rob Osborn
Caroline Harbison
Anti-Bullying Strategy Team
Educational Psychology Service
OEM Building
Whiteacres
Cambridge Road
Whetstone
Leicester
LE8 6ZG

Tel: 0116 284 5100
charbison@leics.gov.uk
rosborn@leics.gov.uk

We want your input!

We hope that you will find this section useful and informative. We would value your views, so if you have any thoughts regarding what you would like to see on this site then e-mail your ideas/ suggestions and comments to:
charbison@leics.gov.uk