Policies
Also in this section:
Anti-Bullying Policy - Basic Principles
Every child at the Royal Blind School has the right to:
- be protected from all forms of abuse, neglect or exploitation;
- feel safe and secure wherever they are within the school;
- be listened to;
- express their views about any issues or decisions affecting or worrying them.
Every member of staff at the Royal Blind School has a responsibility:
- to ensure that the children in their care are not harmed;
- to provide an environment in which pupils can live safely and learn as effectively as possible.
Bullying
Bullying is any recurring action, by an individual or a group, which hurts, threatens, or frightens someone either physically or emotionally.
Bullying takes many forms, such as ‑
- name calling
- ignoring/ excluding (e.g. 'sending to Coventry', leaving someone out of an activity)
- physical contact which person finds unacceptable (E.g. punching, intentional unwanted touching of body parts, pushing)
- blackmailing (e.g. forcing someone to hand over pocket money)
- inciting others (e.g. getting people to gang up on a person)
- insensitive practical jokes (e.g. putting obstacles in someone's path, hiding their belongings)
- making nasty comments about a person either to them or to others (e.g. spreading rumours).
It can sometimes be difficult to identify the difference between acceptable nicknames or gentle humour and bullying comments but if a child or young person is being inwardly hurt by repeated remarks or taunts it is time to act.
Signs of Bullying
Signs of physical bullying can be obvious. Staff should note any injuries and report to the Form Teacher/Keyworker or School Nurse. That person will try to find the cause of the injuries and deal with the situation appropriately.
However, signs of physical bullying are rare and other types of bullying are less obvious but if you notice any of the following you must follow it up in case bullying is the cause.
- a change in attitude to school work
- homework poorly/not completed
- a pupil unwilling to move away from adults
- feigning illness
- unwillingness to go to school
- a pupil becoming more withdrawn
Promoting Positive Attitudes
The School aims to prevent bullying by creating an environment where staff and pupils are aware that bullying is not acceptable by:
- raising staff awareness through induction so that they can act as good role models. This will be done by issuing a sample code of conduct and list of behaviours to be avoided which might allow or encourage bullying;
- ensuring that during pupil induction Form Teachers/Keyworkers reinforce the caring ethos of the school and inform pupils of how to deal with any concerns. As well as making them aware of the roles of the Keyworker/Form Teacher, senior members of staff, and the School Council, details of how to get access to external organisations, such as Childline will be given, in a manner appropriate to age and stage. This will be reinforced when pupils move residential areas and at meetings with Keyworkers;
- including advice about bullying in information for parents of new pupils;
- providing a safe environment by maintaining a level of staffing in all areas appropriate to age and ability ‑ close observation and intervention by staff is particularly important where pupil do not have the communication skills to be able to express their feelings.,
- promoting the idea that 'It's good to talk' by ensuring that there is always someone around to talk to parents pupils or staff concerns . Bullying can be reduced only if pupils, parents and staff feel confident that their concerns will be listened to and appropriate action will be taken;
- involving pupils in developing and reviewing their own codes of conduct for form classes/residential areas.,
- making opportunities for pupils to talk to their Form Teacher/Keyworker or any other adult in whom they wish to confide;
- incorporating education about bullying into the curriculum through subjects/activities such as 'circle time', Personal and Social Education, Drama, Religious and Moral Education, English and drawing on incidents as they occur in the daily life of the school;
- actively acknowledging appropriate social behaviour either through formal means (e.g. recognition at Assembly) or informally (e.g. by praising)
Advice to Parents about bullying in School
If you are concerned about bullying in School or think your child may be being bullied:
- Listen to your child. Ask questions but do it sensitively. Trust them but bear in mind that you may not have the full story.
- Reassure your son/daughter that it is not his/her fault that (s)he is being bullied. Show your support by telling them that (s)he does not have to face the problem on his/her own and tell her/him that (s)he has done the right thing by talking about what has happened.
- Note down details of the bullying with as much information as possible.
- Do nothing before you discuss with your child what you could do, and what he or she could do. However, make sure you do something even if it is just discussing strategies on how to deal with the bully in a non‑threatening way.
- Speak or write to a member of staff who knows your child well if you think it is a serious problem. This can be any member of staff you feel at ease with or your son/daughter may be able to identify someone you could speak to. Suggestions of people you might contact are,
- her/his Form Teacher ‑ if it is happening in class time
- her/his Keyworker ‑ if it is happening in a residential area
- the Head of Care at Canaan or Craigmillar*
- the Depute Head responsible for your son/ daughter's class*
- the Vice Principal
- the Principal
- if you are not sure who to contact, phone the School Office and the staff there will put you in touch with an appropriate person i
- f a member of staff is involved or you consider the situation to be particularly serious you may wish to contact the Head of Department, the Vice Principal or the Principal directly (indicated by *).
- Agree a strategy for dealing with the bullying with the School staff. You may want the bully punished but this may not be the best way of tackling the problem.
- If the problem does not reduce or reoccurs go back to the some member of staff and insist on further action. Continue to do so until the situation improves and, if necessary, approach a more senior member of staff.
We always hope that you would contact the School directly with your concerns but if you feel you cannot, you might wish to contact Anti‑bullying Advice Line for parents and children 0171 378 1446, Parent line 01268 757077 which provides advice for parents or Scottish Child Law Centre 0141 333 94951 freephone for under 18's 0800 317 500 which gives legal advice for parents and children. SCRE also publish a book "Bullying at School ‑ advice for families", written by Andrew Mellor, which provides useful advice. This should be available through your nearest bookshop.
Complaints
If you are unhappy about the way a bullying incident has been dealt with in the School contact the Principal. In exceptional circumstances, if you are still dissatisfied you may refer the matter directly to the Convener of the Executive Education Committee or the Secretary and Treasurer of the organisation. Both can be contacted by writing to them at the Royal Blind Asylum and School, Gillespie Crescent, Edinburgh or telephoning them on 0131 229 1456.
How to deal with bullying
It is important that all incidents taken seriously, and are dealt with immediately.
All incidents of perceived bullying should be recorded on an incident form and copies given to the Form Teacher , Keyworker.
If observed by staff
If unacceptable behaviours are observed staff should decide if action needs to be private or public but should be aware of not publicly humiliating someone. Appropriate action might involve.
- Speaking to the person involved to reflect back your interpretation of the situation. This will help pupils understand what is thought of b~ others as bullying behaviour. It is particularly important to do this because most of our pupils cannot see or do not display the non‑verbal messages which help sighted young people to understand the impact of their behaviour on others.
- Taking both parties aside and discussing in a non‑blaming way what has happened.
- Seeking the involvement of the Form Teacher andlor Keyworker if you feel further investigation or action is required.
- Passing the information to the Head of Department if violence is involved or stronger sanctions may be required.
If reported by the person being bullied
- indicate that you take the incident seriously (and do so even although it may seem trivial at first glance) and tell them they have acted correctly in telling you;
- reassure the pupil that it is not her/his fault that (s)he is being bullied and does not have to face it on her/his own;
- do not make any promises that you cannot keep;
- take action as quickly as possible by adopting one or more of the following:
- listening carefully and advising on how to deal with bullying situations. This may be all the support a pupil requires, but if this action alone is chosen it is particularly important to speak with the pupil regularly to ensure the problem reduces. If the problem does not lessen you must take further steps;
- getting the pupil's agreement on what you are going to do next ‑ you must take whatever time is needed to persuade her/him, as it is better to get reluctant agreement than over‑riding or ignoring the young person's views;
- deciding to deal with the matter yourself following procedures in the section of this policy on dealing with bullies;
- referring the matter to the Form Teacher/ Keyworker for advice, investigation or action;
- informing staff about your concerns so that they can identify and deal with the problem appropriately when they see problems;
Feedback must be given to the person on the action taken and future strategy for dealing with and monitoring the situation.
If bullying has been observed by or reported to another pupil
You should advise that person to,
- encourage the person being bullied to speak to an adult (s)he trusts;
- suggest that the concern about bullying can be raised at the Pupil Council or in discussion in subjects;
If the person being bullied will do none of these:
- discuss strategies to deal with the bullying which the person reporting could pass to them;
- give the 'bullying' advice line numbers and suggest the person being bullied calls.
Throughout you should continue to monitor the well‑being of the person being bullied. If there are observable signs you may decide to enquire if there is anything worrying them. If there are no observable signs you should discuss possible action with your Head of Department.
Dealing with Bullies
The reasons why people bully are complex but it is important to remember that they may have been bullied, they may be doing it as a result of peer pressure or may think it is 'just a bit of fun'.
Staff must use their knowledge of the pupils involved to choose the most appropriate strategy. They must choose an action which will not make situation worse and should check with the person who was bullied on a regular basis afterwards to ensure this does not happen and provide any support required.
- In most cases a 'no blame approach' should be used. Do this by:
- Making it plain that you disapprove of the behaviour (not the person);
- Encouraging them to see the person being bullied's point of view either by explaining how that person feels or by getting the person bullied to explain themselves;
- Getting agreement on how such situations can be avoided in the future;
- In some circumstances it may be appropriate to get the bully to decide how to make up for action
- If you wish to stress the seriousness of the situation you may wish to impose a sanction , but do not do so aggressively or punitively and explain why the punishment is being given;
- If bullying continues or the bullying involves violence, it should be referred to your Head of Department. They may decide to impose another sanction and/or report the bullying to both sets of parents.
Information to Parents about bullying
The ethos of the School is for pupils to take responsibility for themselves. Unless bullying is persistent and extreme we would encourage the young people to see the problem through themselves. A decision to contact parents will be taken on an individual basis.
Our policy and a sheet giving advice to parents (appended) will be given to all new parents or on request.
Bullying outwith School
If bullying takes place outwith School or not at an activity organised by the School it is unlikely that we will have the power to intervene but we will do our best to work with those responsible.
The most likely place where bullying could take place is in the transport to School. In the first instance, pupils and parents should draw the escort or driver's attention to the problem, but it is useful to alert the School by informing the Lead Senior Care Worker currently Mrs J Thomson. If required, we can provide advice and/or speak to the pupils involved, but if the problem persists it may be necessary to contact the local transport organiser.
Bullying of pupils by Staff
All adults have a role in helping pupils understand that, in order to run an effective and safe school, staff may have to exercise their authority. However, it is equally important that staff do not abuse this power.
Pupils and staff should raise any concerns they may have preferably with the person concerned. If they find this difficult, then they should approach a senior member of staff to agree appropriate action
Monitoring
The SMT will be responsible for monitoring all aspects of this policy by:
- maintaining and analysing records of bullying incidents and advising the Care Management and Senior Management Teams of particular difficulties;
- annually ensuring that information and guidelines indicated are available and up‑to-date;
- advising on staff training required;
- devising and implementing a system to identify how the anti‑bullying approach is being supported by the curriculum, both formal and informal, and identifying where additional input through the Personal and Social Education Programme is required
- seeking opinions and suggestions annually from pupils (e.g. through School Council) on effectiveness of our anti‑bullying strategy.
Complaints – Policy and Procedures
Information for Parents and Pupils
Policy:
The Royal Blind School constantly strives to improve its performance. To facilitate this, all policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and the staff engages in self evaluation based on the school improvement plan. The staff and management of the school welcome suggestions and comments that will assist in this journey to improvement.
We also take seriously complaints and concerns that pupils and parents,* may raise. Any complaint will be given serious consideration, dealt with courteously and as quickly as possible and action taken where appropriate. We will also ensure that pupils are not adversely affected because they or their parents have made a complaint.
Procedures:
Key staff will remind pupils at the beginning of each session how to make a complaint.
A copy of the Complaints Policy and Procedure will be made available on the website and printed copies will be provided upon request.
What is a Complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction. A complaint may be made if a parent or pupil thinks that the school or one of its representatives has:
- done something wrong
- failed to do something that should have been done
- acted unfairly
- been impolite
- not given due consideration to a matter
Who to complain to
Any member of staff will be happy to help. In the first instance, discuss the complaint directly with the person involved. If you feel unable to do this or if the complaint can’t be resolved at that level, you can escalate the complaint until a resolution is achieved.
Who to speak to if the complaint can’t be resolved: (Each level represents an escalation in the complaints process.)
|
Education / General
|
Care
|
Nursing
|
|
Class/Form Teacher
|
Key Worker
|
Nurse
|
|
Principal Teacher
|
Senior RCW
|
Lead Nurse
|
|
Depute Head Teacher
|
Deputy Head of Care
|
Head of Care
|
|
Principal
|
Head of Care
|
Principal
|
|
|
Principal
|
|
If your complaint cannot be resolved within the school, you can take it to the Convenor of the Education Committee (a Committee of the Board of Royal Blind) or to the Chief Executive of Royal Blind.
If the complaint still cannot be resolved, you can make a formal complaint to HMIE or to SCSWIS (Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland).
How to complain
You can talk directly to a member of staff, write a letter, send an e-mail, or telephone. Be as clear as possible about your complaint. Many complaints can be resolved fairly informally. However, if you wish to make a formal complaint, we request that you do so in writing.
If a pupil finds the matter particularly difficult they may seek support from another pupil or adult, or they might need support from an independent advocate.
Pupils can also raise a complaint through their representative on the Pupil Council or through their representative on the Residential Pupils Group. This could be a collective complaint affecting a number of pupils.
What happens next?
If you raise something face-to-face or by telephone, it may be possible to resolve the matter immediately and to your satisfaction. We will always take a note of your call and follow it up to let you know how the issue was addressed.
If you have made a complaint in writing, we will contact you (within term time) within three working days, and every effort will be made to arrange an initial meeting or give an initial response within a week.
In some circumstances, the person you contact will need to discuss the matter with a colleague and consider it further before responding. If the issue needs to be investigated, a letter or report will be sent to you as quickly as possible. This will tell you the the outcome of your complaint. It will explain the conclusion, the reasons for it and any action taken or proposed.
*the term parents in all instances refers to parents and carers
Confidentiality
Your complaint will be dealt with in a confidential manner, and knowledge of it will be limited to the relevant Senior Staff and those directly involved. The Convener of the Education Committee and the Chief Executive may also be informed.
Some serious complaints need to be reported to other relevant agencies such as SCSWIS, HMIE, Local Authorities, Protection Agencies or the Police. In these cases, the information reported will be restricted to that required by the agency and you would be informed that the complaint was being made known to a third party. This would happen where, for example, a child’s safety was at risk.
A confidential record will be kept of each complaint received but this will not be kept in the personal file of a pupil or member of staff.
These will be stored in the Principal’s office.
In some instances (for example if disciplinary action needs to be taken) some details of the action taken may not be available to you.
What if the matter remains unresolved?
If you are not satisfied, you should raise the matter with the Principal who will then review the complaint. The Principal may also make further investigations and speak with you further. If you feel that the complaint has still not been dealt with to your satisfaction, you may write directly to the Chief Executive or the Convenor of the Education Committee at Royal Blind’s Headquarters in Gillespie Crescent, Edinburgh. He/she will call for a full report from the Principal, and will examine matters thoroughly before responding. This may result in a positive solution, but if it does not, you may be invited to a meeting.
The address is: PO Box No. 500 Gillespie crescent, Edinburgh, EH10 4HZ.
What if you don’t want to complain, but there is something bothering you?
The School is here to help you, and we want to hear your views and ideas. Contact any member of staff and they will pass the matter to an appropriate person.
The school recognises and acknowledges your entitlement to complain and we strive to work with parents and pupils in the best interest of the children and young people in our care.
At any stage, you have the right to draw your complaint to the attention of the Local Authority funding your child’s placement at the school or SCSWIS, Stuart House, Eskmills Road, Musselburgh (0131 653 4100) or
HMIe (www.hmie.gov.uk) HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA (01506 600 200)
Complaints by pupils, parents and carers – information for staff
What if a parent or pupil expresses a concern to you?
- listen carefully to their complaint and ensure that you are clear about what is concerning them
- check that they wish to make a complaint
- ensure they have a copy of the information on complaints. If in any doubt, give the parent or pupil a copy of the Complaints policy and procedure
If it is a concern that can be informally resolved, either deal with it or pass it to an appropriate member of staff – formal paperwork is not required. However, you should report the matter to your Line Manager.
When a complaint is made
If the matter does not involve you
- fill in Section 1 of the Complaints Record and then refer the matter to the member of staff most directly involved with the complaint or to an appropriate senior member of staff. You should inform the pupil/parent that you will be passing the matter on to someone else
When you can deal with the complaint
- if contact has been made face-to-face or by telephone try to resolve the matter immediately by discussion
- If a complaint has been made in writing, the person who made the complaint should be contacted within three working days, and every effort made to arrange an initial meeting or give an initial response within a week.
If you need to discuss the matter with a colleague and consider it further before responding or the issue needs to be investigated, a letter or report should be sent as quickly as possible. This should acknowledge receipt of the complaint and explain any investigation, actions or outcomes of the complaint. It should explain the conclusion and the reasons for it and any action taken or proposed.
- Ensure that the complaint form is completed with other relevant material appended and then pass it to the relevant member of the Senior Leadership Team who will keep it in a confidential file. Staff should note that failure to file a complaint form may lead to disciplinary action.
Confidentiality
It is essential that all complaints are dealt with in a professional and sensitive manner
Pupils/parents should have their attention drawn to the section on confidentiality in the parents guide.
Also, they should be assured that it is the school’s policy that the fact of making a complaint will not negatively affect them (or their child).
What if the matter remains unresolved?
If there is no agreed outcome the matter should be passed to the Principal to seek a satisfactory resolution or to the Chief Executive (Royal Blind), as appropriate.
