Monday 15th - Friday 19th November is Anti-Bullying Week this year, so we thought that it was important to write about what this week is all about and how you can get involved. It’s not a subject that we want to have to write about, but given that we work in the education sector, and sadly, as it does still happen, we want to let you know how you can help.

What is Anti-Bullying Week?

Anti-Bullying Week began in 2002 and takes place across the U.K every year, with the aim of raising awareness of the bullying that happens to children and young people, both in and out of schools. It also aims to teach us how to recognize, respond to, and ultimately, prevent bullying.

What is bullying?

In order to better understand Anti-Bullying Week, it is important that we firstly understand what bullying actually consists of. The Anti-Bullying Alliance defines bullying as:

"the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power”

According to this definition, there are 4 elements that make an action bullying. These are:

• Hurtfulness

• Repetition

• Power imbalance

• Intention

It is worth keeping these elements in mind when assessing whether a situation is one of “banter" or bullying, as sadly, bullying can often be written off as banter, meaning that it can go unnoticed, and therefore remain unresolved. It is also worth noting the different categories of bullying, such as physical, verbal, and cyberbullying.

Why do we need Anti-Bullying Week?

Anti-Bullying Week shouldn’t need to exist, but sadly, it does. According to the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s website, studies have found that 30% of children have been bullied within the last year, 17% have been victims of online bullying, and roughly one child in every classroom experiences bullying. Bullying is unacceptable, not only because of the way in which it hurts children there and then, but also due to the long-term effects that it can have. For example, children who have been bullied are more likely to leave school with no qualifications, and therefore face unemployment and earn less money. They are also sadly more likely to experience mental health issues, and less likely to be in stable relationships.

How does it help?

Anti-Bullying Week helps to tackle bullying primarily by raising awareness of the bullying itself, how to prevent and respond to it, and why it must not be tolerated. There are lots of resources to help everyone (particularly schools) to learn more about bullying - including 10 key principles to prevent and respond to bullying - on the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s website: https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week. In fact, 86% of young people have said that they think Anti-Bullying week helps schools to tackle bullying.

How can I help?

Make sure that you head on over to the website above and take a look at all of the helpful resources, as well as taking part in Odd Socks Day! That’s right - Odd Socks Day is on Monday 15th November, and is designed to celebrate what makes us all unique! It’s a great way to raise awareness, and show that you’re supporting Anti-Bullying Week!

So although we all wish that Anti-Bullying Week didn’t need to do all of this work, we’re glad that it is. Awareness of an issue such as bullying is key, because it allows us to identify that it is happening, work towards finding a solution, and prevent it from happening in the future. Don’t forget to head on over to the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s website to find out more and access their resources: https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for supporting Anti-Bullying Week.