Anti-bullying status for Easkey school
THE Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) revealed Coláiste Iascaigh to be the first ETB school in Sligo/Mayo/Leitrim to have reached its Shield Flag status.
Coláiste Iascaigh has worked closely with the ISPCC to promote a culture of respect and inclusion in their school where bullying behaviour is not tolerated.
The flag was presented on Friday last by ISPCC Anti-Bullying Coordinator Helen Mortimer in recognition of the work done by the school in developing a robust anti-bullying policy and in building a climate of openness and support in responding to any bullying concerns that arise in the school.
The ISPCC has long recognised that more and more children and young people are struggling every day to cope with bullying in the classroom, the school yard, on the internet and within communities.
In 2012 the ISPCC established the Shield Campaign, a proactive and preventative programme to empower schools, clubs, residential based services and communities to combat bullying. This evidence-informed approach helps to ensure that children and young people are protected and ‘shielded’ from bullying. This programme offers a number of free resources to schools and clubs to support their efforts to counteract bullying.
Lorraine Sherlock, Anti-Bullying Coordinator at Coláiste Iascaigh, stated: ‘We are very proud of our collective approach to anti-bullying and are delighted that this work has been recognised by the ISPCC. We look forward to flying the ‘Shield our School’ Flag for all to see.”
Helen Mortimer, Anti-Bullying Coordinator with the ISPCC, said: “This is testimony to the commitment by the school to be proactive on the issue of bullying. Their investment of time and resources in Shield My School has resulted in this wonderful accomplishment:”