If you want some ideas for Anti-Bullying Week, here are three simple things you can do in school to raise awareness and help evaluate your anti-bullying policies and procedures. This week is a good opportunity to reflect on how you address bullying in school and see where you can make improvements.
- Class well-being monitors
Have each class vote for two pupils to have the role of ‘Class well-being monitors.’ They would be a point of contact for their peers, role models of kind behaviour and they would share ideas with staff for how to help improve the well-being of their class. Monitors across classes could meet together with key staff members to form whole school well-being strategies.
- Complete pupil and parent surveys
Get some feedback from your pupils and parents about bullying. This is a great opportunity to see where the potential issues are and why they haven’t been communicated. Equally, you can reflect on what has been working well. Be mindful not to ask leading questions, keep them simple and easy to understand.
- Story time
Use stories based on the topic of bullying. This is a really easy way to raise awareness, give pupils an opportunity to clarify their understanding and maybe even open up about their own experiences. For pupils who are being bullied having a character that they can relate to could help them to speak up. Equally, it might help a pupil understand that their behaviour could be seen as bullying and the impact of their actions.
Further Reading:
Anti-Bullying Alliance 2019, Anti-Bullying Week 2019: Change Starts With Us, https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/anti-bullying-week-2019-change-starts-us