Dear Parents and Carers,
We would like to kindly remind everyone that if you have any concerns regarding another child hurting your child, unkind behaviour, or possible bullying, please speak directly to your child’s class teacher or another appropriate member of school staff rather than approaching other parents or children yourselves.
We take all concerns regarding children’s safety and wellbeing very seriously and will always listen, investigate appropriately and support the children involved.
We would also like to clarify the use of the word “bullying.” Bullying is generally understood as repeated and targeted behaviour towards another person, where there is an intention to hurt, upset or cause harm. As a school, bullying is something we take extremely seriously and it is not a word we use lightly.
We are noticing that some of our children are using the word “bullying” to describe situations such as another child upsetting them, not sharing, saying something unkind, pushing, falling out with a friend or having a disagreement during play. While these behaviours are still taken seriously and addressed by staff, an isolated incident, friendship difficulty or disagreement is not necessarily bullying.
As an infant school, our children are still very young and developing their social and emotional skills. They are learning how to manage big emotions, communicate their feelings, develop friendships, understand boundaries, resolve disagreements and recognise how their actions can affect others. Some children, including those with additional needs or SEND, may require additional adult support and guidance to develop these skills.
Please also be mindful that we have children across school who share the same or similar names. Information communicated by young children can sometimes become confused or misunderstood. This is another important reason why concerns should always be brought directly to school staff rather than discussed with or directed towards other parents or children.
If your child tells you that they are being bullied, please listen to them, reassure them and speak to us. We will take their concerns seriously, establish what has happened, speak with the children and adults involved and ensure appropriate support and action is put in place.
We would really appreciate your support in reinforcing appropriate language at home and helping children to understand the difference between an unkind action, a friendship disagreement and repeated bullying behaviour.
Our priority is for every child to feel happy, safe and loved at school. By working together and communicating directly with school, we can ensure that concerns are handled appropriately, sensitively and confidentially, while supporting all of our children to learn and develop positive relationships.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Kind wishes,
The School Team
Head of School Review Of The Week 
