Professionals
- Why be concerned?
- Dealing with bullies
- Playground bullying
- Breaking up gangs
- Training Workshops
- Cyber Bullying & Online Safety
- Racist bullying
- Homophobic Bullying
- Child Abuse
- Anti-Bullying Policy
- Peer Support
- Student Councils
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Student Councils
Kidscape recommends that schools use Student Councils when faced with problems such as bullying, vandalism, litter, etc. The procedure is as follows:
- Discuss acceptable behaviour with students and agree certain basic guidelines - the 'school rules'.
- Sign an individual contract with each student based on the agreed, guidelines.
- Post the guidelines on bulletin boards throughout the school and each classroom.
- Call a school assembly and let the students explain the guidelines - involve all the staff, including playground supervisors, dinner ladies etc..
- As part of the guidelines, set up a Student Council to rule on infractions.
- This Council could comprise four students: two elected by the student body and two appointed (as an honour) by the staff.
- One member of staff should attend the Council.
- The term of office for those serving at the Council might vary but one school term is suggested.
- Unless there was an emergency, the council would convene once a week at a set time.
- The Council would be responsible for most infractions, unless they were serious enough to involve the police (i.e. assault), or there were family problems which made public discussion inappropriate.
- Solutions and/or penalties would be binding on all parties, with the right of appeal.
- The conclusions reached by the Council would be written down and filed, with copies of the report going to all concerned parties.
- School Governors and parents would all receive information about the agreed guidelines and about the Council, and would be invited to a Council to see a mock session and to discuss the issues raised.
- The effectiveness of the Council would be evaluated periodically by students, parents and staff.
Student Councils work best where there is an effective whole-school anti-bullying policy, otherwise the Council could simply become a way of bullying the bullies.
Further information on Student Councils is available in Kidscape's How
to Stop Bullying Training Guide.
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