SCHOOL NEWS// ANTI-BULLYING WEEK
POCKLINGTON SCHOOL STANDS UP TO BULLIES
Middle School pupils discussed how
being a bystander to bullying makes
you just as guilty - and you should
step in and stand up to the bully or at
least tell a grown-up what’s going on.
Students also heard how heart-throb
actor and High School Musical star Zac
Efron was a shy misfit who was bullied
at school, partly because he was more
interested in musicals than keeping up
with the popular crowd.
Zac says he’s learned to deflect bullying
attitudes by making a joke and laughing
it off before it takes hold - and pupils
considered how taking a similar pro-
active and positive approach might help
them avoid falling into the “victim”
mindset.
We’ve been marking Anti-Bullying
Week at Pocklington School with a
series of assemblies and activities to
promote the message that everyone
should be more accepting of each other
– and stand up to people who bully.
The theme of this year’s Anti-Bullying
Week is “All Different, All Equal,”
and pupils have been discussing how
everyone has the right to be themselves.
Staff also reiterated the importance of
getting help to stop bullies – and who to
talk to about it.
Prep School pupils wore odd socks
to show their support for diversity,
and talked about how being different
shouldn’t mean you’re treated with any
less kindness or respect. They also heard
how bullying can be physical or mental
– but that it hurts and no one should
suffer from it.
The Lower School had an assembly
focused on the different forms bullying
can take, and how easy it is for banter
to turn into bullying. One person’s
perception of “harmless fun” can be
very different to that of the person on
the receiving end.
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THE POCKLINGTONIAN
Sixth Formers also focused on students’
responsibility to the wider community,
as defending people’s right to be
different and stepping in to stop bullying
in all its forms.
Students tied blue ribbons around the
school, and staff have been wearing
blue, to raise awareness of anti-bullying
and remind pupils that it is not tolerated
in any form at Pocklington School.
Pupils were also invited to take part, on
an anonymous basis, in an academic
study into the factors affecting young
people’s resilience, which can make
them more susceptible to bullying.
They were be asked to fill in questionnaires
compiled by researchers at York St John
and Strathclyde Universities, to record
their feelings about everyday school life,
interactions with their peers, moving up
through the school and how they dealt
with any concerns.
The school is supporting the study as
part of its emphasis on effective pastoral
care, because the insights it brings will
feed into our proactive approach to
safeguarding the wellbeing of every
pupil.
For more information about Anti-
Bullying Week, see: http://www.
bullying.co.uk/anti-bullying-week/
anti-bullying-week-2017/