ISM Unites Against Bullying

The week beginning 9th November marked the start of our annual Anti-Bullying Week. Our message this year was 'United Against Bullying'. 

Students on Upper Campus took part in special lessons and a range of fun activities to celebrate our diversity as a school community. The message of fitting together and not fitting in culminated in students creating class and year group jigsaws, with each piece representing a member of the school community. 

Over the week students and staff committed to making acts of kindness towards one another, including exchanging compliments and supporting each other in lessons, as well as discussions with those who they may not have spoken to before.

Students in Upper Primary really embraced the message of celebrating our uniqueness while uniting to stand against bullying. We wore our Anti-Bullying badges and odd socks with pride and engaged in lots of important discussions throughout the week. Each class made their own jigsaw puzzle display, with each student represented as one of the pieces, and we decorated our classroom windows with chalk paint. In PSHE, we made compliment envelopes, where we wrote something we admired about each of our fellow pupils, giving us the chance to appreciate our differences. During our Anti-Bullying assembly, we looked at the role of the bystander in bullying and explored the difference bystanders can make through a fantastic act scene by Year Six students. 

Students on Lower Campus wore badges, designed white t-shirts and had a lot of discussions in class to spread the message that if we all stand together, the school will be an even kinder place. On Thursday 12th November, students and staff also wore odd socks, which was a way of reminding us that every individual is unique. We need to respect the differences between us and always be kind to each other. Although Anti-Bullying Week activities only lasted for a week, the spirit and the kindness will continue to spread throughout the year. 

In Rosinka, students completed a wide range of tasks and activities. Every morning, the whole school was given the challenge to watch different scenarios acted out by Year Four students and asked, ‘What do you think?’. Children engaged in debates about the videos and thought of ways in which these situations could be prevented.

Each student was given a United Against Bullying badge to show solidarity to the cause and displayed the badge with pride throughout the whole week. During assemblies, we explored the belief that is okay to be different, and celebrated this by wearing odd socks.

Students also took part in carefully tailored PSHE lessons, created by each teacher to suit their class and explored a wide range of topics, from cyber-bullying to how to act around school. We created a jigsaw pledge and thought of ways how we could play our part, unite together and work as a team to solve problems and differences together.

While Anti-Bullying Week has ended, we remain united against bullying. 

Written by Amy Banks, Secondary Deputy Head (Pastoral Care and Personal Development), Rebecca Tivey, Year 6 Teacher, Vera Quian, Year 4 Teacher, and James Conder,  Year 4 Teacher.