Bullying Involving Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Safe to Learn: Embedding anti-bullying work in schools

‘Every child is unique – in characteristics, interests, abilities and needs; and every child has the ability to enjoy his or her rights without discrimination of any kind.’ (Thomas Hammarberg, 1997)
Bullying is one of the most damaging forms of discrimination. This guidance provides advice on dealing with bullying involving children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities.

It is designed to help schools to:

ll Support learners with SEN and disabilities.
ll Understand, prevent and respond to bullying of children with SEN and disabilities.
ll Eliminate disability based discrimination and harassment.
ll Develop a non-bullying ethos.

And by doing so

ll Raise achievement and participation in safe, positive environments.
ll Meet legal safeguarding obligations and comply with the Disability Discrimination Acts and other legislation.
ll Build on the requirements of the SEN Code of Practice.
ll Uphold the fundamental human right of children to be free from abuse.

It is relevant to all types of school.

Safe to Learn defines bullying as: Behaviour by an individual or group usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally.
Bullying can involve verbal taunts, name calling, physical injury, damage to property, rumour spreading, shunning or ridicule. It can be manipulative, making the disabled pupil do
something they should not, or deliberately engineering their discomfort or isolation. It can be done through mobile phones, websites and email (cyberbullying).

Some children with SEN and disabilities may not recognise that they are being bullied or that their own behaviour may be seen by someone else as bullying.

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