policies

Procedure for Investigating Alleged Incidents of Bullying

School Rules
Rules are not invented by Board of Management or teachers just to torment pupils or to make life miserable ... a little common sense will show that they are there to safeguard.... therefore we expect:

1. That children come to school every day and arrive on time. This means:

That children attend school everyday unless it is absolutely unavoidable;

That if children miss school they bring in a note or a Doctor's Certificate;

That if children must leave school during the day, they bring a note from parents signed and dated or are collected by parents;

That children arrive on time (are seated in their classroom when bell is sounded at 9.00 a.m.) and not delay and respond promptly to the bell ending break times.

Because:

Time missed is hard to make up;

The school is entitled to an explanation;

The school is responsible for each child during the day;

It wastes the child's time, the teacher's time and class time.

2. That children do their best to work both in class and at their homework. This means:

That children listen to their teachers;

That they don't disturb the class;

That children do their homework each night, written or oral;

That children always use their homework journal to take down their homework;

That children get it signed weekly by their parents.

Because:

The teacher is only trying to help the children;

It is unfair to others who wish to learn;

It is a necessary back-up to the work done in class;

It helps the child to remember what he/she has to do;

It lets parents see how their child is getting on.

3. That children come in properly prepared. This means:

That children have the proper pens, books and copies;

That children carry them in a schoolbag;

That children bring in any special equipment / clothing needed.

Because:

It only wastes time if children haven't got them;

It prevents loss and keeps books from becoming tattered;

It is impossible to do the subject without them e.g. recorder for music.

4. That children come to school in complete uniform, clean and tidy (maroon jumper/cardigan and grey skirt / pinafore / trousers and maroon tie, blue shirt / blouse, grey socks, tracksuits on P.E. days, indoor slippers)
This means:

That children don't drag in mud or dirt;

That children wear suitable clothing in changeable weather;

That coats, bags, jumpers etc. are clearly labelled.

Because:

It prevents dirtying the school;

It means not sitting in wet clothes or missing class;

It prevents articles being lost or mislaid.

5. That children have respect and consideration for other students. This means:

Being helpful and treating others with good manners and respect;

Not picking-on or bullying others;

Not fighting;

That children don't push and shove their way around;

That children respect other pupil's property.

Because:

All children in the school are entitled to this;

This causes fear, hurt and misery;

It can cause serious injury;

This too, can lead to accident or injury;

They would expect the same.

6. That children respect the instructions of their teachers. This means:

That children are courteous and respectful to them;

That it applies especially when accompanied by teachers outside the school.

Because:

Everyone is entitled to this;

It makes the outing more enjoyable for all.

7. That children act in a proper manner around the school. This means:

Not smoking;

Walking in an orderly way between rooms along the routes specified;

Waiting quietly in line before entering classrooms;

Playing in the area allocated;

Because:

It is unhealthy and dangerous;

It avoids confusion and accident;

It is safer and helps with supervision;

It is safer and helps with supervision.

8. That children are tidy and careful with school property. This means:

That they don't break, damage or deface school property;

When using equipment or books, returning them tidily after the class;

Taking pride in the appearance of the school and avoiding litter;

That glass containers are not brought in to school;

That chewing gum is never brought to school.

Because:

Others have to use it and it is expensive;

To facilitate other users;

No one likes messy surroundings;

It prevents nasty accidents from happening;

It is costly to remove from carpets etc.

Our school rules and school policies are still evolving and for that reason we review and amend them annually taking on board relevant suggestions from pupils, parents and teachers.

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Anti-Bullying Policy

Our school has decided to have a written anti-bullying policy to show to all children, parents and staff that bullying, either physical or verbal, is not tolerated in school. Moreover, everyone will be expected to ensure that bullying dose not happen and will have a responsibility to tell - emphasising that this is not 'telling tales'.

What is bullying?
A child is bullied when one or more children expose him or her repeatedly and over time to physical or verbal abuse. The attacks or assaults need not necessarily be direct but may take a less visible and indirect form such as social isolation and exclusion from the group. Bullying knows no boundaries of age, sex or background.

What are the possible signs of bullying?
Children may:

Be frightened of walking to or from school

Be unwilling to go to school

Beg a parent to drive them to school

Begin doing poorly in their school work

Come home regularly with books or clothes destroyed

Become withdrawn, start stammering

Become distressed, stop eating

Cry themselves to sleep

Have nightmares and even call out "leave me alone"

Have unexplained bruises, scratches, cuts

Have their possessions 'go missing'

Refuse to say what's wrong

Constantly complain of headaches or seem anxious

Give improbable excuses to explain any of the afore mentioned

What can parents do?
Take a sensible approach. Listen and investigate. The child must be told that he/she is undoubtedly not the only victim and that there is nothing wrong with him/her. It is essential that parents are
particularly loving and sympathetic towards their bullied children. Every opportunity should be taken to enhance their self-esteem. Bullied children should not be encouraged to hit back. Usually the bully is physically stronger. Children must be encouraged to tell their parents. The child or parent must tell the class teacher.

Teachers will work to educate children on the difference between "telling tales" and telling on bullies. Children, especially the younger ones, do not always understand this. If their children see bullying, the parents should encourage them to tell. By telling they are helping the victim and the bully.

Helping the bully

While it is distressing for most parents to discover that their child is the victim of bullying, it can be equally upsetting for the parents to learn that their child is a bully. The bully is usually an insecure person and he/she needs help.

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Procedure for Investigating Alleged Incidents of Bullying

1. All reports of bullying, no matter how trivial will be noted, investigated and dealt with by teachers. A record of all allegations will be kept in the school "Bullying Incident Book"

2. Parents of victims and parents of bullies will be informed so they will be in a position to help and support their children.

3. In any alleged incident of bullying, the class teacher (accompanied by the principal or other teacher) will speak separately to the pupils involved and will make written notes of details given in an attempt to get both sides of the story. Children may be asked to write their account of the incident.

The questions of:

"What kind of bullying has taken place?"

"Where did the incident(s) take place?"

"When did the bullying happen?"

"Who did the bullying?" will be asked.

4. Should more than one person be involved, each child will be interviewed individually and then the group will meet with the teacher. Each member of the group will again be asked for his/her account of what happened to ensure that everyone is clear what everyone else said.

5. If it is concluded that a pupil has been engaged in bullying behaviour it will be made clear to him/her that he/she is in breach of the Code of Discipline. The parents of the child will be asked to call to the school to meet with the teacher.

6. A follow-up meeting (incidental) will take place (within two weeks) with the bully and the victim separately; to ensure there is no further bullying.
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Homework

Educational research has shown conclusively that, a child's learning is significantly improved where parents are involved in the child's learning processes.

Homework, is one of the best areas for this active involvement of parents and child. When parents become involved in children's learning, the children see learning as something important and worthwhile and are much more likely to make progress. A strong bond is created also between parent and child and a sense of teamwork and family pride emerges. Parental help should be available on a daily basis and should be given with enthusiasm and obvious pleasure. Under no circumstances should it be treated as a chore or a nuisance. Children are very sharp at noticing attitudes and parental indifference can kill the child's interest and eventually, no help will be sought.

It is school policy that all classes (except entrance class) are regularly given homework and that the relevant teacher will correct this.

Failure to do homework is not seen as a breach of discipline, but repeated failure to do homework will be communicated to parents. It is parents' responsibility to see that homework is done properly, but children in senior classes should feel responsible for their homework. Teachers will take into account the different capabilities of children when deciding what constitutes acceptable homework. Homework given at weekends (middle & senior classes only) will be mainly based on story composition. Sundays should be kept free from homework. Extra homework will not be given as a form of punishment for breach of discipline as this may lead children to see homework as a punishment and not as a means of reinforcing work learned at school. It is school policy to give a written report on each child from Infants to 6^th class at the end of each year. This report will state whether homework was satisfactory or not. A copy of this report will be held in the child's file. The average maximum time suggested for each class to spend on homework is set out below. However this may vary greatly as children and home circumstances differ greatly.

Infants: 15 to 20 minutes - reading, words, tables

First Class: 20 to 30 minutes

Second Class: 30 to 45 minutes

Third Class: 45 to 60 minutes

Fourth Class: 60 to 75 minutes

Fifth Class: 75 to 90 minutes

Sixth Class: 90 to 120 minutes

The following points should be borne in mind regarding homework:

The primary school programme is very broad with large amounts of new material in each subject area, at the different class stages. Much of the time in school is given over to introducing new material and linking it with previous material. Homework gives children the opportunity to practise new material and become familiar with it - a very necessary part of the learning process. It is also one of the main avenues of revision.

Children who are used to doing homework at primary level will be well prepared for the increased programme of homework at post primary level.

Positive Parental attitudes to homework are most important. Patience and praise can work wonders.

There is no need for parents to be fully familiar with all aspects of the curriculum. Supervision of homework as to content and neatness and time spent at various items would be very helpful, as would an effort to ensure that all homework given is attempted.

Parents should try to create a routine as regards time and place. Perhaps, between school time and teatime, might be a good idea.

The place of study should not have T.V. or music and should be as free as possible from interruptions (general house traffic).

Parents should be aware of the ever-present elements of homework, which should receive attention every day: Reading in both languages, Spelling, Tables, Poetry and Religion.

Parents need to keep a check on time spent versus performance. Some children can spend long periods of time at homework and have very little done at the end. Perhaps, there may be need for regular checking while a child is doing homework to make sure that the work is being done and concentration maintained. Parents are advised to check with the school if their child is spending a very long time on homework.

Any criticisms of homework, as to school policy, amounts or repeats should never be mentioned in the presence of the child. Any queries or problems should be discussed with the teacher concerned who will be operating within the school policy on homework.

If parents wish to communicate with the school on any aspect of homework, without calling in, it is best to communicate in writing, as verbal messages can become very garbled.

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Safety

Children's safety is a priority in our school. The Board of Management strive to make the school environment as safe as possible. In the formulation of school rules children's safety was foremost in mind. Children are segregated into separate play areas so those children will play with others of their own age. The teachers constantly supervise the playground and the school operates an "Anti-bullying Policy." Road, fire, water, sports and personal safeties are taught to all classes.

The Board of Management undertakes to ensure that the provisions of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989 are adhered to and the school has a written Safety Statement and a School Safety
Officer.

Only preventive medicines are allowed in school e.g. for asthma. Other medicines e.g. cough bottles, antibiotics, throat lozenges are not
allowed. The Board of Management provides a storage facility for
inhalers to which the children have access. The Board stresses that it provides a storage area for inhalers but accepts no responsibility for the administration of children's medication.

Should children feel sick and be unable to continue work in school then the relevant parent(s) will be contacted. Teachers will respond in a caring and professional manner. Teachers will not normally drive
children who are ill home. Parents should ensure that a contact telephone number is given to the school for such occasions. In cases of emergency, the child's doctor will be sent for.

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School Bags

The school is concerned with the ever-increasing weight of schoolbags children carry to and from school.

We suggest the following points may help to lighten the load.

Used copies can be retained at home
Texts not in use daily may be left at home or in school until required
Unnecessary reference books should be left at home
Dictionaries and atlases should not be carried to and from school
Shoulder strap models are the best type of schoolbag

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Help Your Child to Enjoy Reading

Reading is important in every child's life. Being good at reading will help in all schoolwork, particularly writing and spelling in primary school and study in post-primary school. But reading is also for enjoyment and for leisure. It is very worthwhile trying to help children to develop good attitudes to reading.

All children pass through similar stages of development but at different rates. This is true of learning such things as reading or mathematics. It is also true of attitudes to learning and their ability to enjoy reading. Children from the same family attending the same school may reach different
milestones at different stages. In becoming interested readers, most children pass through ascending levels of development, for example, they may for a time show interest only in picture books or in comics, but given enough time and encouragement, will pass through such a phase to new
levels of interest. It is not necessary to rush children through these phases; in most cases, it is better to allow the younger reader to gain
pleasure and to grow in confidence at each level before moving on. Once the reading habit is established, it should last throughout life.

The most powerful encouragement to young children comes from seeing parents read. When parents give example, reading when they can and
showing that they value books and reading, children, as always, will imitate them.

Encourage reading in free time and during holidays. It is useful if there is a quiet place in the house where uninterrupted reading can take place.
Consider buying books as often as toys. Books make excellent Christmas presents, for your own children and for their friends. Praise your children's interest in books and in reading.

Pre-school and early years:
The child who can talk well is sure in due course to have a great advantage in learning to read. Learning to listen, to hear and to understand begins at birth and continues non-stop ever after. As soon as possible, children should be encouraged to talk, to answer and to ask questions. Their own questions should always be answered. Parents should use correct language in preference to baby talk and should always give the correct names for objects. It is wise to say things correctly for the child who has made an incorrect use of words, but it is not necessary to make the child repeat the corrected statement. As soon as children are ready, it is worthwhile setting time aside for looking at books and for reading to them. There is an early stage of development in which children learn to recognise in a picture something, which they know in reality. At a later stage, look at pictures containing several objects, ask the child to name them and give the names for anything she/he does not know. A further level of development is when children can say what is happening in a picture. When reading to young
children always arrange that they can see the book "right side up", point to the lines of print as you read along and sometimes ask the child to turn the page. In time, after children become more experienced still, it is worthwhile asking them to guess at or to predict what is to come.

When reading, put emphasis on rhyming words, children who have learned to hear rhymes will find less
difficulty with some aspects of
learning to read and spell.

Take an interest in school reading activity. It is important however, to avoid putting undue pressure on young children who are slow to develop reading skills. Limit and moderate television viewing. Make use of whatever your children view by discussing what they see and improving their ability to talk about their ideas.

Don't stop reading to children as soon as they have mastered the beginnings of reading by themselves. Boys need encouragement in connection with reading. Very often, and wrongly, reading is not seen as a masculine activity. Fathers can help here. If a child seems reluctant to read, the best hope of change is in finding reading materials relating to some special interest that she/he may have. Buy games that encourage reading e.g. Scrabble.

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