WHAT IS BULLYING?
Bullying has been defined in many ways, but the kind of bullying behaviour that we are trying to prevent has been well described in the Department's Guide. The Anti-Bullying Code (see above and Appendix 1) also gives a description of Bullying, based on that Guide. From the very beginning, everyone within the school should know, and be agreed on, what bullying is; and the term should be spelt out (as in the Code) so that there is no doubt in anyone's mind that a particular line of behaviour falls or doesn't fall into the category of bullying.
A dictionary definition of the verb "bully" is: To treat cruelly, persecute or intimidate. These three concepts fairly sum up the range of behaviour included under the concept of school bullying.
In
particular it must be clear that the line which makes the
demarcation
between "friendly horseplay" or "friendly ribbing", on
the one hand, and bullying behaviour on the other hand, can be clearly
drawn
and must be clearly understood. An acid test can be: Does the victim
object
to the kind of behaviour inflicted on him or her?
It is important to remember that bullying is both horizontal and
vertical.
Not only do peers of any age group or standing bully one another,
(horizontal bullying) but non-peers also bully (vertical
bullying). So, in a school, students might bully other students,
and teachers other teachers, but also teachers might bully students, a
Principal might bully teachers or students, and students might bully
teachers or the Principal.
All of these different types of bullying need to be prevented.
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This page last edited 1 February 2007