Beau Sejour Swim School/Barracudas Anti-Bullying Policy (updated January 2024) 

Statement of Intent

Beau Sejour Swim School and the Beau Sejour Barracudas are committed to providing a caring, friendly, and safe environment for all of our members so they can learn to swim or train in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable.  If bullying does occur, all members should be able to speak out and feel reassured that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. We are a TELLING organisation. This means that anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell the welfare officer, coach, teacher or another officer or employee of the organisation.

Objectives of This Policy

• All officers, teachers, coaches, members, and parents should have an understanding of what bullying is.

• All officers, teachers and coaches should know what the organisation's policy is on bullying and follow it when bullying is reported.

• All members and parents should know what the organisation's policy is on bullying and what they should do if bullying arises.

• All organisations should take bullying seriously. Members and parents should be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported.

• Bullying will not be tolerated.

What Is Bullying?

Bullying is the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. It can happen face-to-face or through cyberspace and comes in many different forms.

Bullying can include:

• Verbal: Name calling, persistent teasing, mocking, taunting and threats.

• Physical: Any form of physical violence, intimidating behaviour, theft or the intentional damage of possessions. This includes hitting, kicking, and pushing.

• Emotional: Excluding, tormenting, ridiculing, humiliation, setting people up and spreading rumours.

• Cyber: Cyber bullying is the misuse of digital technologies or communications to bully a person or a group, typically through messages or actions that are threatening and/or intended to cause offence, anxiety, or humiliation.

• Racist: Bullying based on ethnicity, skin colour, language, religion, or cultural practices.

• Homophobic: Discrimination based on sexuality and/or gender identity.

• Sexual: Unwelcome sexual advances or remarks that are intended to cause offence, humiliation, or intimidation. This could include pressure to send images of a sexual nature.

• Disablist: The bullying of children who have special educational needs and disabilities.

• Based on 'difference': Bullying based on any real or perceived difference. This can include, but is not limited to, factors surrounding the way someone looks or dresses, hobbies and interests, family situation or social behaviour.

Why is it important to respond to bullying?

Bullying hurts. No one deserves to be a victim of bullying. Everybody has the right to be treated with respect. Members of the organisation who are bullying others need to learn to behave more appropriately. Organisations have a responsibility to respond promptly and effectively to issues of bullying.

Signs and Symptoms

Although a child may not necessarily explicitly state that they are being bullied, they may still display signs or behaviours that indicate he or she is being bullied. Adults should be aware of these signs and be prepared to investigate if a child:

• Is frightened of walking to or from the organisation.

• Doesn't want to go on the club bus.

• Changes their usual routine.

• Is unwilling to go to the club when they previously could not wait to go.

• Becomes withdrawn, anxious, or lacking in confidence.

• Starts stammering.

• Attempts or threatens suicide or runs away.

• Cries themselves to sleep at night or has nightmares.

• Feels ill at training times and does not want to go.

• Starts to drop in their level of training or competition.

• Comes home with clothes torn or equipment damaged/lost.

• Asks for money or starts stealing money (in order to pay a bully).

• Has unexplained cuts or bruises.

• Becomes aggressive, disruptive or unreasonable.

• Is bullying siblings or other children.

• Stops eating or has less of an appetite.

• Is frightened to say what's wrong.

• Is afraid to use the internet or their mobile phone.

• Is nervous or jumpy when a message is received.

• Gives improbable excuses for any of the above.

These signs and behaviours could indicate other problems, but bullying should be considered as a possibility and should be investigated.

Procedures

• Report incidents of bullying to the welfare officer, coach, teacher or another officer or employee of the organisation.

• In cases of serious bullying, the incidents are to be recorded by that person and referred to the welfare officer if he/she is not already aware.

• In serious cases, parents should be informed and will be asked to come in to a meeting to discuss the problem.

• If necessary and appropriate, the police will be consulted.

• The bullying behaviour, or threats of bullying, must be investigated and the bullying must be stopped quickly.

• If bullying is found on the 'balance of probability' to have taken place, then appropriate action will be taken. This includes attempting to help the bully/bullies to change their behaviour.

Outcomes

• The bully/bullies may be asked to genuinely apologise. Other consequences may take place.

• In serious cases, suspension or even exclusion will be considered.

• If possible, the members will be reconciled.

• After the incident(s) have been investigated and dealt with, each case will be monitored to ensure repeated bullying does not take place.

Prevention

We will use Kidscape methods for helping children to prevent bullying. As and when appropriate, these may include:

• Writing a set of 'club rules'.

• Signing a behaviour contract.

• Having discussions about bullying and why it matters.

Other Helpful Organisations

• Swimline: 0808 100 4001

• Kidscape Parents Helpline: (Mon-Fri, 10-4) 0845 1 205 204

• ChildLine: 0800 1111

• Child Power Leaflet: available from jenni.dearman@swimming.org

• Child Power Online: via the Swim England website

• Youth Access: (Mon-Fri, 9.30pm-1pm and 2pm-5.30pm) 020 8772 9900

• Family Lives: (formerly Parentline Plus) 0808 800 2222

• BullyingUK: (part of Family Lives) www.bullying.co.uk

• Visit the Kidscape website for further support, links, advice and downloads.

Beau Sejour Swim School and Barracudas Equality and Diversity Policy

The Beau Sejour Swim School is committed to treating everyone equally regardless of their age, level of ability or disability, gender (including gender reassignment), marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any other relevant characteristic.

The Swim School will ensure that equality is incorporated in all aspects of its activities and also recognises and adopts the Sport England definition of Equality and Diversity in sport: 

Sport England believes sporting opportunities should be open to all and are committed to:

• Developing a culture that enables and values everyone’s full involvement 

• Creating an environment in which everyone has opportunities to play, compete, officiate, coach,  

    volunteer and run community sport.

• Overcoming potential barriers for those wishing to play sport, particularly if they are from group  

    who are currently underrepresented in sport.

The Beau Sejour Swim School also seeks to fulfil Swim England’s Equality and Diversity Policy objectives which states:

‘Swim England and its subsidiaries are fully committed to the principles and practices of equality of opportunity in all its functions: as an employer, membership organisation, awarding body, in its training and development of teachers and coaches; involvement with officials and administrators; as an advisor to swimming pool designers and operators and as a facilitator of the aquatic disciplines by all its members. It is responsible for ensuring that no job applicant, employee, volunteer, member, service user or person within its jurisdiction (together “Stakeholders”) are unlawfully discriminated against because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation (together the “Protected Characteristics under the Equality Act 2010”) or any other irrelevant characteristic.’

Swim England considers the aquatic disciplines to provide “sport for all”. They can and should be made accessible to everyone, to the greatest extent possible.’ 

The Swim School is committed to ensuring that everyone has the right to enjoy sport in an environment free from the threat of discrimination, intimidation, harassment, or abuse.

All members of the Swim School have a responsibility to challenge discriminatory behaviour and to promote equality of opportunity.

The Swim School will deal with any incidents of discriminatory behaviour seriously, in accordance with the organisation’s disciplinary procedures.

The full Swim England Equality and Diversity Policy, along with further useful information and equality guidance can be found at www.swimming.org/asa.

Published January 2017

Updated 2024

Review date January 2025

Beau Sejour Barracudas and Swim School Safeguarding

You may wonder what we mean by safeguarding. Essentially, alongside our wish for you to enjoy and succeed at your sport, we want to ensure that you are safe and happy at the Swim School and that we act upon anything that prevents that. That is what we call ‘safeguarding our members’.

You may ask what you are being safeguarded from. So for example, we want to make sure you are not being: 

• Bullied. 

• Treated differently to others. 

• Hurt by another person on purpose. 

• Not being listened to. 

Preventing such behaviour is very important to us as an organisation and to achieve that we have a safeguarding manual called Wavepower. If you want to have a look at Wavepower, the Welfare Officer will have a copy that you can read or it can be viewed and downloaded from the Swim School’s website or from www.swimming.org. 

We know any bullying or poor behaviour to you would make you feel unhappy, so please do not feel you have to just put up with it. While we will do all we can to prevent anything happening, it is important if something or someone causes you to be unhappy that you tell someone. Tell your teacher, the welfare officer or any other adult you feel happy to speak to. Any issues you raise will be dealt with

Beau Sejour Swim School Welfare Officer

The Beau Sejour Swim School Welfare officer is:

Mrs D Le Noury and can be contacted on 07781166703.

Beau Sejour Barracudas Welfare Officer

The Beau Sejour Barracudas Welfare officer is:

Mrs E Carter and can be contacted on 07839234320.  

Updated Jan 2024

Review Jan 2025