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Anti-bullying Week is held each year in November and is a time for all of us to think about how we can develop positive relationships in school based on dignity and respect, take a proactive approach to preventing bullying and also support people who have faced or are facing bullying.

There are a number of articles from the CRC that link to Anti-Bullying Week:

Article 2

The Convention applies to all children without discrimination.

 

 

Article 12

Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously. This right applies at all times, for example during immigration proceedings, housing decisions or the child’s day-to-day home life.

 

Article 13

 Every child must be free to express their thoughts and opinions and to access all kinds of information, as long as it is within the law.

 

Article 19

Governments must do all they can to ensure that children are protected from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and bad treatment by their parents or anyone else who looks after them.

 

What is bullying?

• It is repeated behaviour that treats another person badly over time.
• Behaviour that makes you feel unsafe and/or puts you down as a person. This could be:

1. Physical – aggressive or violent, being pushed, hit, kicked, intimidated.
2. Verbal – name-calling, threatening, being laughed at, teasing, being shouted at.
3. Social – being purposefully excluded from plans with your ‘friends’.
4. Cyberbullying (online, on social media or gaming forums) – unkind comments, sharing photos with negative comments.
5. Discrimination - against race, nationality, sexuality, faith or another protected characteristic.
6. Sexual bullying – unwanted sexual comments or contact, spreading of sex rumours.
7. Emotional or psychological – when someone gets what they want by making others feel angry/sad (manipulation) or being told they are not good enough.

At Marlow Infants, we focus on the importance of relationships, being a good friend and learning what it means to treat others with dignity and respect. Much of the learning around our school values and in PSHE, gives children the opportunity to learn and consider the viewpoint of others and how our actions affect other people.  Children also learn about how to express their worries and who to express them too. 

Exploring bullying and what anti-bullying week means at home can be done in an age-appropriate way through stories and discussions. Encouraging children to speak out about someone has said or done something that they don't like is important and role play can be useful to model to the children what they could do or say in particular situations. Here are some suggestions:

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How to be a Lion

Read ‘How to be a Lion’ by Ed Vere. Talk about why the other lions are bullying Leonard and how he deals with this. If you don’t have the book, you can watch Ed reading it here: ‘Some say words can’t change the world. Leonard says, “If they make you think, maybe they can.” Do you agree with Leonard?

 

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Supporting others

Watch this video about Topsy and Tim helping their classmate. What is happening to Stevie? What do Topsy and Tim do to help? What would your child do if you saw someone being unkind to one of their friends or classmates?

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Colour the world with kindness

‘Kind words’ and ‘kind hands’ are commonly used terms. Take time, in the context of Anti-Bullying Week, to explore these concepts more deeply and think about how they are linked to rights. Encourage children to share examples of kindness and positive relationships. 

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In school, next week, the Rights Respecting ambassadors will be leading school worship, talking to the rest of the school about children's rights and about making good choices in interactions with others. Every class will have a lesson about friendships and anti-bullying week. You can see what your child's class will be doing by looking at this week's 'Learning at a Glance' in the Newsletter. We will also be marking anti-bullying week with an Odd Socks day on Thursday.