Our community at Stoke Damerel Community College is built on a foundation of respect and good manners so all of our students can ‘Aspire, Achieve and Thrive’.   Staff and students work together to create a safe, nurturing environment where everyone can thrive without fear of disruption, harassment, or violence. Our goal is to ensure that all students reach their full potential within a supportive and positive atmosphere.  To achieve this we hold an expectation that pupils treat each other, and our staff, with courtesy and cooperation.  House cards are used to reinforce the expected behaviour.  They enable conversations between students and staff that celebrate acts of positive citizenship.  Once completed rewards are issued that further contribute to their House awards.  

Creating a ‘Be Kind’ culture is central to ensuring all students feel a sense of belonging.  Staff recognise and reward acts of kindness, and students can nominate each other for shout outs.  Acts of kindness can be as simple as smiling, or holding a door open for someone. These everyday gestures will be recognised by staff signing House Cards.  At the end of each week House Cards are collected by tutors and students are awarded House Points according to the number of positive signatures.  Staff can also reward kindness by issuing Golden Tickets, Excellence Awards or Head of School Awards.  These awards are celebrated in line up and assemblies.  Students can use the ‘Thank a Student’ form to nominate each other when they have experienced kindness.  Nominations will be shared via the screens to publicly praise those embracing our culture, and staff will also do afternoon line up shout outs for outstanding nominations.  Each tutor group has a ‘Kindness Ambassador’.  These students actively promote kindness across the college, and work with the staff body to ensure the student voice is represented within all initiatives linked to our kindness culture, our whole community works together to ensure that kindness is felt for all members.

We have a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying, harassment, victimisation, and discrimination. Any such behaviours are taken seriously, and we ensure that all pupils and parents are treated with consideration and respect. At Stoke Damerel, bullying and unkindness, in any form, is simply unacceptable.

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To create an anti-bullying culture, where students feel safe, a range of preventative measures are in place.  These include a comprehensive PSHE programme, themed assemblies and the ability to report any concerns or issues at any time, whether this be in or outside of school.  Additionally, our Year 12 students hold positions of responsibility, and act as peer listeners for younger students; offering guidance and support to any pupil who may have worries or concerns.  Where issues arise students are supported through a restorative approach alongside sanctions in line with the behaviour policy.  Our processes ensure that empathy is developed through education so the likelihood of further issues are reduced.  Together, these initiatives create a strong, supportive community where everyone feels valued and secure. 

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At our school, we are deeply committed to maintaining a calm, orderly, and safe environment where every student can thrive. We hold a zero-tolerance approach to disrespect, meaning that all forms of unkindness are immediately challenged and actioned by our staff. Bullying behaviours are taken with the utmost seriousness; they are met not only with firm disciplinary sanctions but also with targeted relationship interventions designed to address the root cause and prevent repetition. We do believe in supporting students to make better choices, but it is vital to be clear that repeated unkindness or persistent bullying will not be tolerated. Continued behavioral issues will result in a swift escalation of consequences which, ultimately, will put the student's place at our school at risk. 

The key to preventing, and effectively responding to bullying, is through a strong school community. At Stoke Damerel we continually strive to build that sense of community and belonging in all students, by creating strong positive shared values.

We actively work to help students understand bullying and the individual hurt it causes and the wider damage to it brings to our school community.

In practical terms:

• We continually remind all students of how unacceptable bullying is in any of its forms, with bullying and unkindness being a recognised element of the school behaviour system. As part of this we make sure everyone should know and understand the school policies on this.

• We actively talk about what bullying is, and how they can stand up to it safely. This is so that a pupil is better equipped to identify it and they can also talk about bullying if it happens to them or others. This is important in empowering students to support others who might be experiencing negative behaviours by helping them to show understanding, kindness and seek help.

• We make sure pupils know how to seek help. The school has various mechanisms by which any student can ask for help and support, whether they have been bullied themselves or know someone who has experienced it.

• Our curriculum includes materials to encourage students to consider how they might respond to students that show bullying behaviours towards them and provide them with simple tools and strategies.

• We ensure that all students know how to stay safe if they feel they are at risk of bullying behaviours, including online cases of bullying or abuse.

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Reporting Bullying

We always respond to any notifications about bullying behaviours either on the day it is reported, or if it arrives at an evening or the weekend the next day that students are in school.

We recognise that students that have experienced bullying will be anxious that it may not stop, or even that it may get worse having reported it. We work very hard to support students through this time (and beyond), to help them manage their worries or concerns and then to rebuild their confidence. Usually this will involve a designated adult regularly checking in with them and offering help and support as needed.  We also put clear and positive consequences in place for any perpetrator of bullying to reduce the chances of this happening again. 

If you do not feel able to discuss things face-to-face, use the  talk2us@sdcc.net which allows a student to highlight concerns they are experiencing. There are also websites such as these which can help you: