Policy against Bullying

At Frontier Primary School, we are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment where every Frontierer feels a strong sense of belonging. We believe that every child has the right to learn and grow.
1.     We take a firm and proactive stance against all forms of bullying and hurtful behaviour. This stance guides our school in managing different forms of hurtful behaviours.
2.     We recognise that:
a.     students may have disagreements or say things they do not mean.
b.     the school will help students understand the difference between occasional conflicts (which are normal) and persistent bullying behaviour, addressing each situation with care and appropriate support.
3.     We need the support from parents to nurture empathy, strengthen relationships, and guide our students to make positive choices that reflect responsibility, respect and care for others. 

Enabling a caring and supportive environment for all students
All staff of Frontier Primary School seek to:

• foster the class and school environment, with positive teacher-student relationships and strong peer support structure with trained student leaders and peer support leaders

• conduct Character & Citizenship Education lessons on empathy, conflict management, resilience and cyber wellness

• conduct regular chitchat sessions with students (Heart-to-Heart Talk)

• take a firm stance against use of unkind words and hurtful behaviours 

Support students in reporting Bullying
Students and /or parents can reach out to the school in the following ways:
1.     Direct reporting to any staff member in school, for example, Form Teachers, Subject Teachers and Year Head
2.     Students can drop a written message into the letter box outside Counselling Room at Level 2. The messages are retrieved only by the School Counsellor, Ms Joyce Siew. 

Note: For the purpose of this policy, ‘school’ refers to all school premises, including classrooms, common areas, and school grounds.” 

Message Box outside Counselling Room

3.     Parent can email to the school (email address: frontier_ps@moe.edu.sg) and please include your child’s name and class. 

Definition of Bullying
Bullying involves persistent and intentional hurtful acts, while other hurtful behaviours include once-off insensitive comments and physical fights. 

Bullying and hurtful behaviours can take various forms, including verbal, social, physical and cyber:

• Verbal: Name-calling, spreading rumours, or making threats

• Social exclusion: Deliberately leaving someone out, or encouraging others to ignore someone

• Physical actions: Pushing, hitting, or damaging someone's belongings

• Cyber bullying: Using online technology like phones, computers, or social media to hurt or embarrass others on purpose and repeatedly 

Case Management will only be initiated once we have ascertained that the incident constitutes a bullying case. For behaviours that do not constitute bullying, we will still address them appropriately through other means of support and intervention. 

Bullying - Case Management
1.     Investigation Process and Timeline
o   Upon being alerted to the incident/offence, the school will inform parents about the incident/offence (within the same day) and seek parents' support to monitor student well-being and safety, and ensure the student is well-supported at home.
o   The school will seek the support from parents to keep channels of communication open with school personnel.
o   The school will appoint a main point-of-contact for communications with parents. 
o   In terms of investigation and updates, as broad timeline for reference, the school will adhere to Service Standards in the Civil Service (within the day, 3-7-21 days) for communications with parents.

2.     Activation of Care Plan for students
o   The school will kickstart mandatory counselling for students when necessary.  
o   The school speak to students and to draw up a Care Plan.

3.     Establishing Partnership
o   The school will work with parents of students involved and to inform parents the outcomes of the investigation at the earliest opportunity.

4.     Consequences
o   The school takes reference from MOE Baseline Consequence as seen at Table 1 and draws up consequences.
o   The school will mandate counselling for students involved and observe readiness of students before starting the restoration of relationships and learning prosocial skills. For cases which require more support for students involved, the school will draw on external referrals and community resources. 

Table 1 [WSl(1] : MOE Baseline Consequences for Bullying 

Respect for self and others (the Frontierer Identity)
Frontier Primary School takes a firm stance against all forms of bullying and hurtful behaviours, as they reflect a disregard for self-respect and respect for others. We seek parents’ support in partnering with us to guide our students in upholding these values when such behaviours occur. We hope that all parents can;
o   work closely with staff to support their child in understanding the impact of their actions.
o   support staff when staff provide appropriate support for students involved, which may include:
a. Counselling and guidance to develop self-respect, empathy, and respect for others;
b. Restorative conversations and interventions to repair relationships where appropriate;
o   support the school when the school metes out appropriate baseline school-based disciplinary consequences. Bullying and hurtful behaviours are taken seriously, with measures calibrated based on the nature and severity of the case.