The theme for this year’s Anti-Bullying Week is to choose respect over bullying.

Following a consultation with over 800 children, teachers and members of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, it emerged that a top priority was showing that bullying is a behaviour choice, and that children and young people can set a positive example by opting to respect each other at school, in their homes and communities, and online.

The aims of this week are to support schools and other settings to help children and young people, school staff, parents and other professionals who work with children to understand:

• The definition of respect
• That bullying is a behaviour choice
• That we can respectfully disagree with each other i.e. we don’t have to be best friends or always agree with each other but we do have to respect each other
• That we all need to choose to respect each other both face to face and online

The Anti-Bullying Alliance, with the continued support of SafeToNet, will be developing a set of free cross-curricular teaching resources to support both primary and secondary schools to embrace the theme of respect.

CBeebies star Andy Day and Anti-Bullying Alliance patron, and his band Andy and the Odd Socks, are supporting Anti-Bullying Week 2018 and are encouraging students to wear odd socks to school during the campaign to show their support and raise money for a good cause.

There will also be Anti-Bullying Week School Staff Awards for those inspiring members of the school workforce who go the extra mile to support pupils and prevent bullying.

With the support of the Royal Foundation Anti-Bullying Week will hold its first ever Stop Speak Support Day highlighting the issue of cyberbullying on Thursday 15th November.

A set of free teaching resources, including lesson and assembly plans and films on bullying, ideas for Odd Socks Day and Stop Speak Support resources about cyberbullying will be available during Anti-Bullying Week.

Resources for Schools

The Anti-Bullying Alliance have developed primary and secondary school packs which include lesson and assembly plans, cross curricular ideas, films to show and other resources to help bring Anti-Bullying Week to life.

original source credit: Anti-Bullying Alliance Website

Read related: 10 tips on how you can engage young people in Anti-Bullying Week