By Noha Reda
Deputy Director of Education and Safeguarding Manager, EEP
Creating a safe and supportive school climate is essential for the well-being and success of all students. To effectively address negative behaviors in schools, it is important to differentiate between bullying and misbehavior. While both involve inappropriate actions, their nature, effects, and intentions differ significantly. Bullying is characterized by repeated, intentional acts of harm, whereas misbehavior refers to actions that deviate from accepted norms without the intention to harm.
EEP’s Safeguarding Measures
At EEP, we pride ourselves on being Egypt’s first platform to implement comprehensive safeguarding measures. We have a central safeguarding team overseeing school-specific teams, applying best practices from a range of educational systems. By adhering to the highest safety standards of the British and IB systems, our policies are grounded in kindness, empathy, and respect.
Our safeguarding framework includes a detailed set of policies and a robust training program for staff, along with community workshops. These outline the behaviors expected of students and staff, as well as the consequences for misconduct. By fostering empathy, inclusion, and conflict resolution, we promote a positive school climate and reduce bullying incidents.
Annual school reviews across the platform help ensure the proper implementation of educational components, while also focusing on students’ social, emotional, and personal development.
How Can Schools Prevent Bullying?
Encouraging Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
Integrating SEL programs into the curriculum helps students develop critical skills for managing emotions, forming positive relationships, and making responsible decisions. Schools that nurture empathy and understanding reduce the risk of bullying and empower students to support each other.
Creating Communication Channels
Open communication channels are essential for students to report incidents and seek help early. At EEP, our educators are trained as first responders to identify and address bullying, differentiating between behavioral concerns and safeguarding issues.
Our platform, Guard, allows for the reporting and documentation of safeguarding incidents, ensuring cases are handled swiftly, confidentially, and consistently. Guard also helps us track trends and develop targeted intervention plans.
Empowering Parents
Parents play a crucial role in preventing bullying. Open communication between parents and children, combined with active involvement in discussions, strengthens anti-bullying efforts. Parents can reinforce positive behaviors and collaborate with schools to maintain a unified prevention approach.
At EEP, we offer workshops on positive discipline for parents and share our reporting procedures to ensure collaboration between educators and families. Our safeguarding team works closely with counselors and parents to create a support network around each child.
Conclusion
Addressing misbehavior, especially bullying, is a continual challenge across generations. However, through the collective efforts of schools, educators, parents, and the community, we can create safe environments where students thrive. By fostering empathy, kindness, and respect, along with clear policies and communication, we can ensure that every student feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed.
