We all know that bullying goes on in every school. It's the way it's dealt with by all members of the school community which makes the difference between life being pleasant or a misery. Bullies are cunning, choose their times carefully and are clever at getting away with it. Sometimes bullies can be your friends, taking teasing too far or bullies can also be your older brothers and sisters and their mates. Bullies tend to home in on certain people to pick on more regularly than others, especially if they get a reaction. In William Brookes School we are very clear that bullying is offensive and should not be taking place - in any form. The school staff will treat seriously any incident that disturbs you, including those that happen out of school or are a form of cyber bullying.

Bullying includes:
. People calling you names
. Making things up about you to get you into trouble
. Hitting, pinching, biting, kicking, spitting, given a wedgie, pushing and shoving
. Damaging your belongings or threatening you to hand things over
. Taking things away from you - stealing your money or property
. Taking your friends away from you
. Posting insulting messages on the net
. Spreading rumours
. Threats and intimidation
. Making silent or abusive phone calls
. Sending you offensive phone texts or messages

Bullies can be very frightening which can result in you not wanting to go to school. We do not want you to pretend to be ill to avoid them. Whatever the type of bullying, the bully needs to be tackled sensibly rather than you looking to find ways around or avoid the issue.

What you can do to help the situation
If you are being bullied, you need to be brave and tell a friend, tell a teacher and tell your parents. It won't stop unless you do. It can be hard to do this so if you don't feel you can do it in person, it might be easier to write a note to your parents explaining how you feel, or perhaps tell someone outside the immediate (home) family, like a grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin and ask them to help you let your parents know what's going on.

.All bullying should be reported to a member of staff who you trust, or to one of our anti-bullying support mentors. You will find their names and photos in your Form Room.
William Brookes School has a very strong anti-bullying policy and all reports of bullying are taken seriously.