Over the past few weeks, we have been engaged in discussions about bullying. The Primary and Middle School Learners will discuss bullying: what it is; what it may look like; and what we can and should do if we encounter it. This coincides with Anti-Bullying Week which is marked in the UK and many other countries to address the issue of bullying. The aim is to empower children and teenagers to confront bullying and build a more empathetic culture at school.

We focused our discussions around bystanders and their crucial role in solving this problem. We discussed ways that we could help the younger learners understand what bullying means and what we can do about it if we see it. This led to some role plays, which evolved into filmed sequences. You each volunteered for different roles – bully, victim, bystander – for the various types of bullying you wanted to explain.

We held the anti-bullying assembly and you got your turn in the spotlight, leading the Primary School in this initiative. After our rehearsal and some valuable input from Mr. Ed about the need to convey the seriousness of bullying and its impact, it was time to take to the stage. You spoke confidently and deftly handled questions and comments from the younger learners. You made them feel comfortable sharing and I was impressed with the maturity of your responses to them. After the assembly, many of the younger learners were asking to see the presentation, and particularly your videos, again. I think your hard work really paid off because you have inspired some very important conversations.

Ms Tali and Senior Primary Grade 6