Published on Thursday 11 November 2021
Schools, early years settings and Bournemouth and Poole College in the BCP Council area will be marking Anti-Bullying Week (15-19 November 2021) with a focus on kindness. The Anti-Bullying Alliance theme for this year’s event is ‘One Kind Word’, a topic designed to help children recognise the power of positive interactions to change others’ lives.
Schools, early years settings and the College will be taking part in the week in a variety of ways. The week starts with the national ‘Odd socks’ event where students and staff are encouraged to wear odd socks to remind them that we are all different and unique. Bournemouth and Poole College has created a stand which encourages their students to write ‘one kind word’ on a luggage label, in order to spread positive messages throughout the college population.
Other schools are integrating this message into their core curriculum, through finding ‘the equation of happiness’, analysing the science behind positive emotions and learning about how kindness is expressed in different languages.
Conversations about bullying are being encouraged in schools throughout the week through interactive assemblies and presentations which are organised by the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors.
One of the schools will be continuing to focus on this theme throughout the school year by giving students the opportunity to post their kind notes in a box for each year group. Some schools are planning kind deeds in their local community, contributing to the food bank, painting pictures for a care home and undertaking a litter pick at the beach.
The week is not only a chance for students to reflect on the impact of their words and actions, but it also helps to bring them together as they work to learn more about the wider effects which bullying can have in schools. This behaviour can be damaging to a child’s self-esteem, which is why it is crucial for schools to emphasise the importance of kindness from a young age.
Councillor Nicola Greene, Portfolio Holder for Council Priorities and Delivery said: "Anti- Bullying Week is an excellent opportunity for schools and students to work together to create a culture of kindness in the classroom and promote student safety.
"We hope that this year’s focus on consideration for others will foster deeper connections for our students following a global year of turmoil. Social interaction is essential for healthy development and as the world gets back to normal, this is something which we will continue to make space and time for in our schools.
"We are extremely pleased with the excellent work that schools have done so far to address negative behaviours and educate students on the importance of compassion in interactions. Having open and empathic communication is essential to understanding our students and this is something which we advocate for throughout our academic community."
More than thirty local schools across the BCP Council area have received All Together Against Bullying awards from the Anti-Bullying Alliance for their work in this area. Many schools in the BCP Council area are expected to take part in the new national initiative led by the Anti-Bullying Alliance,’ United against bullying’ ,being launched this month.
The Anti-Bullying Week event contributes to the council’s priority to create and sustain a safe and kind environment for children which allows them to grow and flourish.