Bí Cineálta Policy (Be Kind Policy)

What Is the Bí Cineálta Policy?

At Coláiste Cholmcille, we believe that everyone has the right to feel safe, respected, and happy at school.
Our Bí Cineálta Policy (Be Kind Policy) helps prevent and deal with bullying so that our school is a place where everyone can learn and grow.
It’s based on national guidelines called Bí Cineálta: Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour from the Department of Education.

What Is Bullying?

Bullying happens when someone keeps hurting, excluding, or upsetting another person on purpose — in person or online.

It can include:

Name-calling, teasing, or spreading rumours
Hitting, pushing, or damaging someone’s belongings
Leaving someone out on purpose or ignoring them
Sending mean messages or posting hurtful things online
Making fun of someone’s appearance, background, identity, or beliefs

Even one hurtful post online can count as bullying if it gets shared or causes lasting harm.

Our School Values

Everything we do is guided by our three core values:

Respect – Treat everyone with kindness and understanding.
Fairness – Everyone deserves to be included and listened to.
Personal Growth – We learn from our mistakes and help others do better.

How We Prevent Bullying

We work together as a school community to stop bullying before it starts.
Here’s how we do it:

We celebrate diversity through special weeks and displays like Autism Acceptance Week and LGBTQ+ Week.
We teach kindness and empathy in SPHE, RSE, and Wellbeing classes.
We have Kindness Week every year, where students are recognised for positive actions.
We use Restorative Practice to help students repair friendships and solve problems respectfully.
We make sure students know at least one good adult in school they can talk to.
We encourage bystanders to speak up if they see bullying happening.
We promote online safety and take part in Safer Internet Day each year.

What to Do if You See or Experience Bullying

If you think bullying is happening — to you or someone else — tell someone.
You can talk to:

Your Year Head, Tutor, or Teacher
Any SNA, Chaplain, or Counsellor
Your Parent/Guardian, who can contact the school
You can report bullying by:
Talking to a teacher privately
Writing a note
Sending an email
Asking a parent or friend to help you tell someone

We will always listen, take it seriously, and act quickly to help everyone involved.

Helping Everyone Move Forward

When bullying happens, our goal is to:

Stop the behaviour
Support the person being hurt
Help the person responsible learn and make amends
We use kindness, fairness, and understanding to restore relationships and make our school stronger.

Remember

Everyone in Coláiste Cholmcille — students, teachers, and parents — has a role in making our school a kind, fair, and respectful community.
When we live by our motto “Bí Cineálta – Be Kind”, we help create a school where everyone feels safe and supported.