The Board of Management recognizes the very serious nature of bullying and the negative impact that it can have on the lives of pupils, and is therefore fully committed to the following key principals of best practice in preventing and tackling bullying behaviour:

• A positive school culture and climate(See Appendix1) which is welcoming of difference and diversity and is based on inclusivity; encourages pupils to disclose and discuss incidents of bullying behaviour in a non-threatening environment; involves collaboration among and between staff and pupils and promotes respectful relationships across the school community.

• Effective leadership

• A school-wide approach

• A shared understanding of what bullying is and its impact

• Implementation of education , and prevention strategies(including awareness raising measure) that build empathy, respect and resilience in pupils and explicitly address the issues of cyber- bullying and identity-based bullying including in particular, homophobic and transphobic bullying

• Effective supervision and monitoring of pupils

• Supports for staff

• Consistent recording, investigation and follow up of bullying behaviour (including use of established intervention strategies) and ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of established intervention strategies) and ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of the anti – bullying policy.