A NORTH-EAST technology company has developed antibullying software which can analyse patterns in incidents.

School Incident Report Optimiser records and tracks bullying incidents, both in school and away from it, making it easier for staff and governors to monitor and act upon them.

It has been created by Business Performance Optimiser (BPO), based at the eVolve Centre, on the Rainton Bridge Business Park, in Sunderland, which produces software for schools as well as public and private sector organisations.

The tool also addresses cyber bullying on social networking sites, chat rooms and mobile phones, as well as providing the ability to record physical or verbal abuse against school staff.

The software securely stores the details, including photographic or documentary evidence, and then enables schools to conduct statistical analyses to identify behavioural patterns and compile reports that can be used to develop anti-bullying strategies. BPO director Steve Shaw said: “Our software can help to protect pupils and teachers alike and saves time, money and resources in addition to being simple to use.

“All that is needed to use it is a computer, an internet connection and basic IT skills, with comprehensive training and support on hand.

“Secure hosting and maintenance are included, meaning additional hardware and system costs are eliminated.”

The system is password protected, meaning that the information logged and stored remains confidential.

Hetton School, in County Durham, is using the system as part of its anti-bullying policy, which was drawn up with the involvement of pupils.

The school’s assistant headteacher, Peter Howey, said: “The ability for pupils to volunteer sensitive important information with complete anonymity appeals to our pastoral care team, as we know that it is important to provide a comfortable easyto- use medium to achieve this.

“Naturally, being able to track and report on all incidents from the first instance through to resolution is invaluable, as is the administration time saving aspect freeing up staff to implement appropriate action.”

BPO has worked with a number of clients on its software packages, including a customer satisfaction survey tool for BT, and other applications for Sunderland City Council and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.