Bristol shapes up for anti-bullying week

Release Date:  17-Nov-2008

Schools across the city will be showing that bullying is neither acceptable or inevitable as part of a programme of activity to support anti-bullying week (17 - 21 November).

As well as support for the week, six schools in the city have been selected to take part in a national peer mentoring anti-bullying pilot, to examine how specially-trained fellow students can contribute to help other children understand the impact of their actions.

With the theme of 'being different, belonging together', Bristol schools will be coming together at a conference on Wednesday 19 November to mark the week and discuss issues around bullying. At the conference the winner of a city-wide children's poetry competition will be announced.

Children and adults can show their support for anti-bullying week by wearing a blue ribbon with the message, 'Being different, belonging together'.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Cohesion and Raising Achievement, Cllr Peter Hammond, said:

“Everyone has the right to feel safe and secure at school. We want our young people to recognise that any form of bullying or harassment is unacceptable and that help is available by talking to teachers, parents or other relatives.

“Bristol schools have taken some innovative approaches to tackling the school bully and helping children feel emotionally secure. Through anti-bullying week and continued work in schools we want to raise a positive generation where differences are accepted and understood.”

To reduce bullying in schools and improve children's confidence and self-esteem, six Bristol schools have been taking part in an emotional health pilot programme. The 'FRIENDS' programme uses trained teachers, educational psychologists and mental health specialists to work with children using role play, workbooks, games and quizzes, to help them identify feelings of anxiety and replace them with more positive thoughts and to recognise and face up to problems and challenges.

Nine Bristol schools are also taking part in a unique approach to solving issues of bullying and harassment. With the aim of reducing exclusions, the 'restorative approaches in schools' project uses a series of conferences and contracts to bring together children who have been harmed and those that have done the harming. Since its launch in 2006 dozens of meetings have taken place and permanent exclusions in the city have reduced by at least one third.

Background

1. Anti-bullying week is co-ordinated by the anti-bullying alliance, based with the National Children's Bureau. More information about the campaign is available at www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk .

2. Schools taking part in the peer mentoring pilot are Blaise Primary School, Burnbush Primary School, Brislington Enterprise College, Fair Furlong Primary School, Redland Green School and Oldbury Court Primary School. It is funded by the Department for Children, Families and Schools and run by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation.

3. Schools in the south of the city have been taking part in the restorative approaches project.

Author:  Julia Walton Tel: 0117 9222732

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