Recording
Each reward school has developed its own system for capturing a record of bullying incidents.
Recording should be:
Consistent: The SEEMiS management information system is used by Scottish schools to record bullying incidents. The Bullying and Equalities Module supports the recording of information. The perceived reason for the bullying can be noted, which allows schools to capture prejudice-based bullying relating to one or more protected characteristic. Schools also use pastoral notes on SEEMiS as a recording tool. This can capture incidents that may not have been categorised as bullying to provide a wider record for analysis, for example noting interpersonal conflict. Staff receive training to ensure that recording is consistent. Some schools have developed a template for recording pastoral notes so the appropriate information can be accurately captured.
We log all incidents, bullying or not, on pastoral notes to ensure we have an ongoing record. This allows us to identify any patterns forming and put support in place as early intervention.
Accurate: For recorded data to have value, it should be accurate and comprehensive. If not all instances of bullying are recorded, it creates a false picture that doesn’t support improvement. reward schools triangulate their records with other sources of data to better understand their anti-bullying needs, and the impact of their work. For example, a school may review its anti-bullying records in the context of attendance or wellbeing. The stakeholder surveys that were undertaken as part of the respectme reward were useful in creating a broader picture of prejudice-based bullying. For example, in some schools the percentage of children and young people who had noticed prejudice-based bullying wasn’t reflected in the number of incidents recorded. This may be due to an unwillingness to either report or to record incidents.
If staff have noticed, seen or heard bullying behaviour which is racist, sexist, homophobic, disablist or derogatory about someone’s faith or religion these cases are being under reported as the survey responses do not align with the number of incidents reported and recorded on SEEMiS which is something we will monitor closely.
Case study: Sandhead and Drummore Primary Schools
The Bullying and Equalities Module on SEEMiS is used whenever there is a report of alleged bullying behaviours. Both the person experiencing and the person exhibiting bullying behaviours are spoken to and all detail is stored. Parents are contacted when there is an entry made and as part of the review after the incident has been responded to. Staff also record whether the parents/carers are happy with the outcome. The specific incident of bullying is captured in the ‘Type’ field, so they can track if there are patterns or things they need to address as a school. This let staff and partners provide inputs to the curriculum after multiple instances of homophobic language being used.
All teaching staff have been trained in recording pastoral notes in SEEMiS. These have proved invaluable in supporting children in a holistic manner. Staff refer to pastoral notes regularly to help piece the puzzle together and link to Bullying and Equalities incidents. This makes support and interventions more targeted and personalised. Staff have an agreed structure, using the headings of Source, Event, Detail, Action, Impact to ensure a consistent approach in recording incidents. This has proved an excellent transitional tool when children have moved away from the school and gives a structured overview of the child’s history.
