As Anti-Bullying Week approaches in November with the theme “Choose Respect”, Explore Learning is helping provide parents with the knowledge to spot and address bullying behaviour early, both online and offline.

“With 21% of children who experience daily bullying resorting to truancy, it’s clear that the impact extends far beyond the playground, affecting education and overall wellbeing,” says Charlotte Gater, Head of Education at Explore Learning. Anti-Bullying Week serves as a reminder that we all have a responsibility to foster respect and work towards creating safer, more compassionate environments for our children”.

Spotting the early signs: from playground to cyberspace

Experts at Explore Learning highlight key early warning signs that may indicate a child is experiencing or engaging in bullying:

• Children being bullied may display unexplained physical symptoms like headaches or stomach aches. Additionally, they might suddenly become reluctant to use their mobile phones or computers, or attend school. Parents should also be aware of any changes in eating or sleeping habits, as well as unexplained damage to belongings or requests for extra money.
• For children who may be bullying others, parents might notice increasingly aggressive behaviour or language. These children might acquire unexplained new belongings or extra money. They may refuse to accept responsibility for their actions and display a highly competitive attitude, often struggling to accept losses. Their academic performance may also be affected, showing sudden drops in grades or disruptive behaviour in class.

In the digital realm, parents should be particularly aware of:

• Secretive online activity, such as hiding screens or quickly switching tabs
• Emotional distress after using social media or receiving messages
• Sudden withdrawal from previously enjoyed online activities

Supporting your child: 4 essential tips for parents and carers

Charlotte offers these key strategies for parents dealing with bullying situations:

1. Create a safe space for communication 

Many children hesitate to tell adults about bullying, fearing it might make the situation worse or viewing it as ‘telling tales.’ Encourage open dialogue without judgement and make it clear that speaking up is a sign of strength, not weakness. Regular check-ins, even about small daily events, can help build trust and make it easier for your child to share their experiences when something is wrong.

2. Teach digital literacy and online safety

Educate your child about safe online practices, including how to block and report abusive behaviour on social media platforms. Discuss the importance of privacy settings and the potential consequences of sharing personal information online. Regular conversations about their online experiences can help you stay informed and offer support.

3. Foster resilience and self-confidence 

Help your child develop strong self-esteem by encouraging their interests and strengths. Support them in pursuing hobbies they enjoy, as these can provide a sense of accomplishment outside of school. Model positive self-talk at home, demonstrating how to speak kindly and build a resilient mindset.

4. Address bullying behaviour in your child 

If you’re concerned your child might be bullying others, have an open, non-judgmental conversation to understand the root cause. Work with them to develop empathy through interactive activities like role-playing exercises that help them understand how others feel when treated unkindly. Engage them in volunteering activities that put them in caring roles, such as helping at animal shelters or participating in community service projects. Reading and discussing stories about kindness and inclusion can also help develop emotional awareness. Set clear expectations for behaviour and consequences for bullying, and seek professional help if the behaviour persists.

“It’s vital that we equip our children with the tools to navigate challenging social situations, both online and offline,” Gater adds. “By fostering open communication and teaching resilience, we can help build a generation of young people who choose respect in all their interactions.”

For more information on how Explore Learning supports children’s education and wellbeing, visit https://www.explorelearning.co.uk/free-resources/how-to-deal-with-cyberbullying-as-a-parent-or-carer/

The findings are published as three-quarters of schools in the UK celebrate Anti-Bullying Week reaching over 7 million children and young people. The campaign urges children across the country to reach out to friends and trusted adults if bullying is taking place.

The research finds that both those being bullied and the children who bully others have a bad experience of school life, disliking going to school, feeling less safe and having poorer relationships with their teachers.

The research underlines the lasting effects of being bullied, with children frequently on the receiving end having significantly poorer wellbeing than those who do not report being bullied at all. Interestingly, those who frequently bully others have the poorest wellbeing whether they bullied online or face-to-face.

Anti-Bullying Week takes place from the 14 to 18 November and has the theme Reach Out. The week will kick off with Odd Socks Day on Monday 14th November, where adults and children wear odd socks to celebrate what makes us all unique.

This research is released along with an open letter from the Anti-Bullying Alliance consortium of over 200 organisations calling on all adults to consider the example they are setting to children and young people about how we treat each other.

Whilst there are many examples of kindness and respect that we can share with young people to showcase how we should treat each other, far too often children see negative discord amongst adults that influences their behaviour. We believe it imperative we consider the impact our words and actions have on the children and young people who are learning from us.

The campaign is supported by many celebrities and influencers, including Anti-Bullying Alliance patron and children’s television star Andy Day who with his band Andy and the Odd Socks is releasing the single ‘Calling Out’, bringing alive playgrounds, classrooms and assemblies across the UK.

Martha Evans, Director of the Anti-Bullying Alliance said: “Children and young people need to know there is help out there if they are being bullied or are witnessing bullying. It starts by reaching out to someone you trust if you need to talk. Reaching out to someone you know is being bullied. Reaching out to consider a new approach.

“And it doesn’t stop with young people. From teachers to parents and influencers to politicians, we all have a responsibility to help each other reach out.

“That is why members of the Anti-Bullying Alliance have written an open letter calling on adults to consider the example they are setting to young people about how we treat each other.

“Whether it is during a Twitter spat, arguments in parliament, a relationship breakdown on the latest reality TV show, or a row on the street; children are too often watching. They are listening and they are learning from us.”

Andy Day, patron of the Anti-Bullying Alliance and CBeebies presenter said of Odd Socks Day: “We are over the moon to be working with the Anti-Bullying Alliance again on such an incredibly important issue. Encouraging acceptance of individuality at an early age can help prevent bullying later in life and raising awareness on the issue of bullying is very important to us. Odd Socks Day is a fun day where we can do all of this! We would LOVE for your school to get on board!!”

For more information, please see: https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/anti-bullying-week-2022-reach-out

Four students from a Cheshire secondary school have won a major anti-hate challenge organised by the University of Southern California (USC) Shoah Foundation and global edtech leader Discovery Education.

The students from Sandbach High School, were awarded top prizes in the UK category of the international Stronger Than Hate Challenge after creating pieces of artwork and a short film about hate crime. Inspired by the testimony of holocaust survivors, the students’ winning entries were designed to encourage people around the world to unite against racism.

Impressing US-based competition judges, the four students received scholarships and iPads. The judges said that the Sandbach students “demonstrated excellence in leveraging testimony and creativity to promote empathy, understanding, and respect in their local communities.”

The 4 winning students are:

Joint first prize Chloe Heath and Sophie Kaler

Chloe’s winning entry was ‘Silence is Compliance’, a beautiful iPad drawing inspired by the testimonies of holocaust survivors. Chloe said:

“After watching the testimonies, I have been filled with hope. I have learnt about many beautiful acts and how they have drastically improved countless lives.  My work reflects the disappointment I feel for the people who silently stood by and watched genocides take place and also represents how genocide destroys communities emotionally and physically.

Chloe will receive a £5,000 scholarship.

Sophie’s winning entry was ‘An Anti-Racist World’, a colourful piece of art inspired by Diane Uwera, a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide. Sophie said:

“I have a dream of an anti-racist world. I hope that more people will come to realise the need to be kind to everyone, everywhere. I hope they will strive to create a world like the one on my piece; we should all want to live in a colourful, diverse, anti-racist world, where people like Diane shouldn’t have to suffer or hide. I hope that my work inspires others, just like Diane inspired me.”

Sophie will receive a £5,000 scholarship.

Third prize Evelyn Tickner and Eleanor Taylor

Evelyn and Eleanor were awarded joint third prize for their animated short film, ‘Love is a Gift’. Watch the video here.

“In order to spread the stop hate message, we will share it with our friends and family, put it on our church page, share it on our social media and throughout our school”, said Evelyn and Eleanor.

Evelyn and Eleanor will share a £500 scholarship.

Now in its third year here in the UK, The Stronger Than Hate Challenge was launched in March along with special classroom resources to help teachers and students recognise and counter hate and discrimination. Freely available at TeachingWithTestimony.com/challenge-uk, these expert resources and videos will empower students to employ empathy, build critical-thinking skills and become inspired to create a brighter future after listening to first-hand accounts from survivors and witnesses of genocide.

“Research shows us that students are facing a mental health crisis. The Stronger Than Hate Challenge empowers students to creatively express the power of empathy, understanding, and respect. Congratulations to the 2022 winners and the change you’re already making in the world,” said USC Shoah Foundation Interim Director of Education and Outreach, Lesly Culp.

“Teaching with Testimony – and the Stronger Than Hate Challenge – are wonderful examples of how students are creating a more peaceful and collaborative world,” said Amy Nakamoto, General Manager of Social Impact at Discovery Education. “We are proud to stand alongside USC Shoah Foundation in putting testimony in classrooms nationwide.”

However, the poll, commissioned by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, suggests that Covid-19 has affected how bullying takes place, with rising numbers of children reporting incidents online or in their communities compared to a similar survey last year, and fewer children saying they had been bullied in school.

Of those who reported being bullied recently, 38% said it had taken place online, a rise from 29% in a pre-Covid survey conducted in 2019. There was a similar rise in reports of bullying in the community: with 16% of children who experienced bullying saying it had happened in their community, compared to 9% last year.

At the same time, the lengthy closure of schools for most children seems likely to account for a drop in bullying in school settings, with 74% of young people who reported being bullied in 2020 saying it took place in school, a fall from 83% in 2019.

The majority of children (65%) stressed that having lots of good friends helped protect them from being bullied. However, the number of children reporting they had more than one good friend fell by 4 percentage points, from 91% before coronavirus to 86.5% in October 2020.

Many children (38%) were anxious about returning to school in September because they feared suffering bullying behaviour. Of those who had been bullied recently, alongside the three-quarters who said it took place within school, 26% said the journey to and from school was a flashpoint.

On a positive note, an overwhelming majority (80%) said that if we work together, we can unite to reduce bullying. This message will be highlighted in the three quarters of schools in England expected to celebrate Anti-Bullying Week this year – reaching over 7 million children and drawing on teaching resources made possible with support from SafeToNet.

Odd Socks Day for Anti-Bullying Week took place on the Monday 16th Nov, when CBeebies and CBBC star Andy Day and his band Andy and the Odd Socks launched their new charity single ‘The Kids Are United’.

The song’s video, made by hundreds of pupils in their ‘bubbles’ in schools across the country, encourages young and old alike to wear odd socks to school or work and celebrate what makes us all unique. The video features 11-year-old dance sensation, Princess K, sharing fresh dance moves in support of Anti-Bullying Week, as well as Libera boys choir, a hugely popular and internationally renowned choir from South London. Andy and the band will be sharing their song and discussing bullying in an online assembly to schools across the country on the morning of Odd Socks Day, which also features messages of support from Mo Farah, McFly and Anne-Marie.

Find out more about Anti-Bullying Week at www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week and get involved on social media via @ABAonline #AntiBullyingWeek #UnitedAgainstBullying #OddSocksDay

The school were presented with the national award after staff, pupils, parents, and governors demonstrated that anti-bullying is a priority which they play an active role in through range of procedures including a peer support scheme.

The bronze level shows that the school has a clear understanding about how to prevent all forms of bullying including cyber-bullying and that the safety, mental health and wellbeing of its pupils is of the highest importance. The school is now working towards achieving the ABQM-UK Silver Award.

Andrew Chadwick, Head of School commented: “The recognition from ABQM-UK shows the continued hard work of everyone at Wilsden Primary School to create a culture where bullying is not acceptable.

“I would like to give special thanks to Rebecca Fortune who has helped establish our ways of working to prevent bullying.

“Our school’s motto is “Start small, dream and achieve big”, so we will carry on working until we have developed a community ethos of anti-bullying and emotional wellbeing.”

Wilsden Primary School operates as part of Focus Trust – a charitable multi-academy trust which is based in the North West of England with a vision of providing an engaging and challenging learning environment where the children are happy.

Find out more about the ABQM at http://www.abqm-uk.com/

With schools closing daily around the world, Cybersmile is offering use of its full curriculum of lesson plans and access to its interactive learning programme, completely free of charge to all parents, students and teachers – enabling them to deliver engaging educational materials to those who would otherwise be missing out on education. The resources are available from today via Cybersmile’s ​education portal​.

In addition, the organisation is seeking partners who can fund emergency interactive learning modules to educate people about the importance of social distancing, hand hygiene and best practices during this difficult time.

The non-profit has also confirmed that ​Cybersmile Assistant​, their AI smart assistant launched last year, is unaffected by the Covid-19 outbreak and will continue to offer round-the-clock support to anyone impacted by internet-related issues such as anxiety, harassment, cyberbullying and many more.

“Fortunately, all Cybersmile education and support services have been developed to scale almost infinitely. Our services are also designed to withstand the most challenging social environments. We feel fortunate to be able to provide free education and support to everybody affected at such a difficult time,” said Dan Raisbeck, Co-Founder, The Cybersmile Foundation.

The coronavirus emergency has presented itself as a challenge for countries around the world, severely impacting schools, colleges and universities. Due to increases in news consumption and screen time, Cybersmile have seen a surge in demand for support services and access to their education programme.

Potential partners that wish to support Cybersmile’s effort in creating new resources relating to the crisis should contact corporate@cybersmile.org

For more information, visit https://www.cybersmile.org/education

Teaching professionals are faced with an almost impossible task trying to police bullies and protect the vulnerable. It’s not always cool to “snitch” and even the best of teachers and parents are not always aware that there is a problem.

Yes, most teaching professionals have had the training and are on the lookout for the telltale signs indicating that a child has become withdrawn, sullen or appears to suddenly have anger issues, but in a busy working day it is easy for vulnerable youngsters to go unnoticed.

For most children, learning how to deal with bullies is all part of growing up, a skill they will use over and over again when they become adults, but for others they need to be taught and to understand what’s possible.

There are plenty of courses out there that deal with bullying – we include sections within our own modules – but if they are to be successful it involves completely changing the mind set of victims who have become traumatized, or in exceptional cases suicidal as a result of being targeted.

We are never going to turn timid youngsters into warriors overnight and nor should we try, but they have to know that bullying is not their fault and to understand that they are unique. Bullied people usually suffer from low self-esteem and confidence, which makes them an ideal target and if you can address that situation you are half way towards dealing with bullies.

We recommend that teaching professionals encourage students to tell an adult and when they gain more confidence to say out loud to their tormentors to stop doing whatever is causing the upset, but more importantly we concentrate on helping young people be more positive so they are better able to deal with these situations.

It is of course more complicated that this short news story will allow but like everything else to do with feelings of self-esteem and self-worth, positive thinking plays a key role which needs to be learned in childhood. It will then be the gift that keeps on giving and what better endorsement can any teacher have.

Michael Young is an author and founder of Powerful Positive Thinking. Visit: www.powerfulpositivethinking.org/courses

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT said: “The government’s cuts to school budgets are bad news for children who are being bullied.

“School staff are the first line of defence against bullying and they are the best way of making sure it doesn’t happen in the first place. But NAHT’s research into school budgets shows that more than a third of schools (37%) have had to reduce the number or hours of teaching staff.

“Teaching assistants and pastoral staff in schools also play a vital role in managing behaviour, but more than four fifths (86%) of school leaders have reduced the hours or numbers of support staff because of the cuts. Almost two thirds (65%) of the NAHT members who responded to our survey said that they strongly agreed these reductions have resulted in a negative impact on their school.

“Of particular concern to us is the fact that pupils with additional needs and from lower incomes are the once most likely to report that they are being bullied. But efforts to step in, so that every child has an equal chance to succeed, are being hampered by the cuts to budgets.

“Pupils thrive when they have a great environment to learn in. That environment is created by the skilled professionals employed by the school. Many of these professionals are having their hours cut because school budgets are at breaking point, and there’s no sign of any extra money coming from the Treasury, which is a disaster for young people who are feeling bullied at school.”

Key themes include mental wellbeing, diversity, anti-bullying and activism. ‘F-rated’ titles, championing the role of women in film, careers information from industry experts, and a nationwide review writing competition to promote literacy and critical thinking will all feature.

The Festival is hosted by education charity Into Film and made possible by funding from Cinema First, the BFI, a wide collaboration with UK cinema industry partners and delivery partners We Are Futures. In addition to all major cinema chains venues this year will include The British Library, Shepperton and Pinewood Studios, Edinburgh Zoo, Folly Farm in Wales and Ark Farm in Northern Ireland, London’s Cinema Museum, Croyde Deckchair Cinema in Devon, the Tramshed in Cardiff and Kinema in the Woods in Lincolnshire, a pavilion converted into a cinema in 1922.

The Festival opens on November 7 with simultaneous pupil premieres of The Grinch, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Manchester. Film titles are mapped against the curricula of all four nations. Highlights include screenings of Peter Jackson’s First World War documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, Bohemian Rhapsody, Mike Leigh’s Peterloo, adaptation of ‘A’ level novel The Little Stranger, Mary Shelley, Mary and the Witch’s Flower, documentaries Whitney and McQueen, and award winners The Shape of Water, The Post and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Over half the screenings offer audio-description and subtitling and this year sees an increase in the number of autism-friendly screenings.

All events and screenings are free. For programme information, to book tickets and download resources visit www.intofilm.org/festival

According to the survey, specifically, over one in five (21 per cent) of children worry that a stranger might bully them; 18 per cent worry that a stranger might ask them to do something they’d be uncomfortable with; 13 per cent worry a stranger might ask them to do something illegal; and one in ten (ten per cent) worry that strangers would still have access to information they have posted online even after they have deleted it.

In addition, the children surveyed are also conscious that their own activities online may cause worry among peers, with over a third (36 per cent) admitting that they have previously regretted posting something online because it may have negatively affected a friend or someone else.

“The benefits of children being online and connected are numerous. So it’s easy to forget that children and young people are inherently vulnerable and may expose themselves to danger, whether knowingly or unknowingly, when using the internet and connected devices,” says David Emm, principal security researcher, Kaspersky Lab. “This years’ theme for Safer Internet Day is ‘uniting for a better internet’. It is the combined duty of care of the security industry, government, teachers and parents, to mitigate the risks and provide children with a safe, secure online environment where they can work, rest and play.”

“As the internet increasingly becomes the medium of choice for children and young people, this important research demonstrates the need to ensure they have the right technology tools and guidance to make safe choices online,” adds David Miles, international online child protection expert and member of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) Evidence Group. “Given the right support, children feel incredibly empowered by what they find online. Whether it’s to socialise, learn or play, we all have a collective responsibility to minimise the risks and maximise the benefits for this new digital generation.”

Kaspersky Lab urges parents, teachers and the industry to work together to create a safe environment for children, so they can learn and thrive online, as opposed to being scared or worried to connect to the internet altogether.