Odd socks and empathy=Anti-bullying

Anti-bullying week took place this week and like many schools, we participated actively by wearing odd socks as a symbol of our support for stamping out bullying, not just in schools but everywhere.

This year the theme was ‘change starts with us’. This is a move towards understanding that bullying is not always about one person or group of people, but about a culture where bullying is allowed to happen.

The ‘change starts with us’ report is really effective and very simple. It helps children to understand what they can do to help themselves and each other but it sets up the responsibility everyone has and goes into detail about what different groups can do to make a difference including:

Schools and educational settings
Parents and carers
Governments and Parliamentarians
Technology Companies
Media and influencers

Here is what we encourage our children to do and the focus of our anti bullying drama workshops with Perform this week:

Be an ‘upstander’ – this means avoiding the bystander effect and not sitting back when you know someone is bullying or being unkind
Considering the impact of your words and actions
Knowing you can make a difference
Saying hello and being empathetic
Focussing on what’s on the inside instead of someone’s appearance
Including everyone

The notion of the Big Bad Bully is just one very one dimensional perspective on bullying. Anti-bullying now is about playing your part to spread kindness and inclusivity, however old you are and whatever your role or position may be.

‘Change starts with us’ is a powerful message and at Grimsdell I feel we embrace this but are never complacent. I hope you enjoy the pictures of our children participating in the workshops to connect with the concept of anti-bullying and the different emotions and strategies involved in dealing with these situations.