Malone Integrated College

As part of our Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures within the College is our policy on bullying. Throughout the education of our pupils we encourage students to accept, tolerate and respect each other through trust, support and care. It is therefore obvious to state that any form of bullying which contravenes the ethos of the college will not be tolerated.

 

Malone College took a proactive approach when we became a member school of The Anti-Bullying Alliance. At Malone College we believe all children and young people have intrinsic value and worth and we embrace their uniqueness and autonomy.

 

Most bullying goes unreported for three reasons – three barriers that a young person must jump over.  Firstly, maybe the young person isn’t sure who they should go to.  Next, even if they know who to approach, perhaps a teacher, they may not feel confident enough to talk about their experiences. Finally, there is the fear of being seen to report bullying by their peers, or the bullies themselves. That’s where our Pastoral system comes in. Students can report any forms of bullying to their Form Tutor, Year Head, Senior Leader Link or any member of staff. We also use worry-boxes stationed around the school. 

 

Our students also take part in workshops delivered by Cara-Friend. This training is designed to help young people understand and ensure they know that bullying behaviour and/or inappropriate language toward LGBTQIA+, racial and religious minorities, youth with disabilities and socially isolated young people is not acceptable. The workshops build knowledge, they develop understanding and promote respect and inclusivity for all which are core values of integrated education. 

 

Our Peer Mentors team consists of pupils who have been trained to work proactively to support victims of bullying behaviour, raise awareness of the affects of bullying and also to work preventatively to stamp out all forms of bullying in Malone Integrated College. The Peer Mentors are involved in Form Classes and playground at lunchtimes. They are extremely approachable and can be easily identified with their badges throughout school and on school buses.

 

The College works in conjunction with a range of external organisations  to develop capacity, knowledge, confidence and relationships around emotional wellbeing issues, through a whole school approach. In line with the Children and Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing in Schools Framework, the overall aim is for a reduction in the growth of longer term mental health difficulties. They work preventatively with young people, school staff and parents to increase awareness and knowledge around key emotional wellbeing themes and the early intervention supports available in the community and voluntary sector as well as the thresholds of and support available within CAMHS. 

 

The YeHa Project is a youth based educational programme that aims to give young people the skills and knowledge they need to safeguard their mental health, and that of their peers. We believe that there is a basic level of knowledge and skill that everyone needs around their own mental health. By teaching every pupil about mental health, we hope that they will be equipped to meet the challenges they  and their friends will encounter in life. Our 6th form students have been trained in mental health first aid in conjunction with TAMHI. By training older pupils to deliver mental health lessons to younger pupils, the project aims to bypass the walls many young people put up when dealing with adults.

 

We have a number of Teacher Counsellors available to students for referral. We also have a visiting counsellor from Action Mental Health (HOPE). More information on how HOPE works in school can be found here.