Deputy Head of College
There have been numerous articles in the Sydney press over the past couple of weeks about how schools handle bullying, and the terrible impact (usually accompanied by other factors) that it can have on young people. Bullying is, of course, not a new problem in schools – and it can persist in adult institutions, too – but that is certainly no reason to not have robust and effective preventative and response strategies.
The term should also not be used lightly, and its misuse contributes to the difficulty in managing challenging social dynamics in school contexts. At Oxley, we define bullying as “an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening” (Oxley College Bullying Prevention and Intervention Policy).
I have highlighted key words in this definition as these are significant features of bullying behaviour. Bullying certainly involves “mean-on-purpose” behaviour (to employ language we use in our Junior School), although not all “mean-on-purpose” behaviour is bullying – even though it is, of course, wrong and needs to be addressed. Bullying is also not the same as a “friendship fire” or a friendship breakdown. It is an essential part of growing up to learn how to navigate relationships – which young people are doing at the very the same time that they are developing their own identity and working out where they ‘fit’. Upset can be caused unintentionally; apologies may be made, forgiveness may be chosen. One to one relationships often play out within a social group, with implications for the status of those within it, whilst that group itself may be fluid in its members. All of this adds to the complexity of dealing with such social issues. These are natural and important lessons that humans must learn growing up, in order to navigate the adult world.
Social media and digital communications can hugely amplify mean-on-purpose behaviour and incidents of bullying. This includes, for example, passive-aggressive posts about a social event that intentionally excludes a person who is in that social group, to liking – or even tolerating – a mean post about another person. The feeling of anonymity of witnesses to such online behaviour that social media provides is a significant contributor to bystander behaviour. It is easier to ignore online bullying behaviour (which often plays out to an online audience) than it is the same comments being witnessed in person. All are reasons why access to social media should be delayed as long as possible, so that young people can learn real social skills and have sufficient brain development to deal with the potentially harmful effects of the online social world. The insidious nature of some social media platforms makes it very difficult in some cases to prove that bullying has occurred, not least that it often occurs outside of school hours at home.
At Oxley College, we are dedicated to fostering a safe and respectful environment for all our students. Our Bullying Prevention and Intervention Policy and its related procedures is a cornerstone of this commitment, ensuring that every student feels secure and supported. It emphasises the importance of establishing and maintaining a culture of respect, kindness, and empathy among students, throughout the College. It includes promoting the value of courage to be an upstander: as bullying is about power/perception of power, it usually involves bystanders. It involves regularly promoting and celebrating these values, for example via assemblies, and proactive strategies through wellbeing programmes (e.g. UR Strong) or in curriculum units (e.g. Cornerstone and PDHPE). One such strategy is the Social Behaviour Survey that was conducted in the Senior School in Week 8, that will provide anonymous and valuable insights into social dynamics and behaviour.
The policy is available on our website and is included in student diaries (via a QR code in the Senior School). We encourage parents to familiarise themselves with the policy and discuss it with their children.
Yours sincerely
Mr Mark Case
Deputy Head of College