Anti-Bullying Policy

Our Position

NOVATECH A.I American College has zero tolerance for bullying in any form. Every student has the right to feel safe, respected and valued. Creating and maintaining that environment is a shared responsibility of students, staff, parents and the school community as a whole.

What Is Bullying?

Bullying is repeated, intentional behaviour — physical, verbal or social — that causes harm, distress or humiliation to another person. It includes but is not limited to:

• Physical bullying — hitting, pushing, damaging property
• Verbal bullying — name-calling, insults, threatening or demeaning language
• Social bullying — deliberate exclusion, spreading rumours, damaging friendships
• Cyberbullying — harassment, threats or humiliation delivered via phone, messaging or social media
• Discriminatory bullying — targeting a student's identity, ethnicity, religion, gender or disability

A single incident of harmful behaviour, while not bullying by definition, is still taken seriously and addressed promptly.

Prevention

NOVATECH takes a proactive approach to preventing bullying through:

• Explicit teaching of empathy, respect and conflict resolution as part of the curriculum
• Regular class discussions on wellbeing, relationships and digital citizenship
• Staff training in recognising, recording and responding to bullying incidents
• A school culture where reporting concerns is encouraged and treated seriously
• Clear rules displayed and discussed with students at the start of each term

Reporting an Incident

Students or parents who witness or experience bullying should report it to any trusted staff member. All reports are taken seriously, investigated promptly and treated with appropriate confidentiality. No student will face negative consequences for reporting a genuine concern.

Reports can be made:

• Directly to a class teacher or form teacher
• To the school's Safeguarding Lead
• Via the school's contact number or email
• Through the Complaints Procedure if informal routes are not satisfactory

How We Respond

When a bullying incident is reported or observed, the school will:

• Listen to all parties separately — the student affected, those involved and any witnesses
• Record the incident accurately and confidentially
• Take appropriate disciplinary action proportionate to the severity and repetition of behaviour
• Support the student who was harmed and, where appropriate, work with the student who bullied to understand the impact of their behaviour
• Inform parents of all students involved
• Monitor the situation and follow up to ensure the behaviour has stopped

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying that occurs outside school hours but involves students and affects the school community is within the scope of this policy. The school will work with parents and, where necessary, relevant authorities to address online harassment involving its students.

Review

This policy is reviewed annually. Significant incidents inform future updates. Current version: August 2025.

Contact

To report a concern or ask a question about this policy, please contact the school directly.