Leader of South Gloucestershire Council Cllr Toby Savage visited Longwell Green Primary School on Thursday 18 November to meet with pupils during Anti-bullying Week (15-19 November).
Cllr Savage was met by head teacher Darren Brown and spoke with pupils about the work they have been doing to mark the awareness week, which this year has the theme ‘One Kind Word’.
Longwell Green pupils took part in a range of Anti-bullying activities throughout the week. Children in reception made kindness promises to show what they were going to do to be kind to everybody in the class. Year 1 pupils created their own anti-bullying superhero for their classroom display and were also encouraged to say ‘One Kind Word’ every afternoon when they returned to class following playtime.
Year 2 pupils took part in activities around stopping bullying and spreading kindness, including ‘growing kindness’ where whenever the children see or do something kind, they write it on a petal and add it to their own individual flowers.
Other classes watched a video called ‘Kindness Boomerang’ which outlines the domino effect that is caused when we show kindness to others. Children also created a miniature graffiti wall with kind words and decorated kindness paperchains throughout the week, writing something kind they witnessed being said or done on the individual paperchain links, forming a kindness chain reaction.
Cllr Savage, who represents the Longwell Green ward, said: “It was a pleasure to visit Longwell Green Primary School and hear from some of the children what they have been doing to mark anti-bullying week. It’s important that everyone takes bullying seriously because of the long-term impact it can have on friendships and self-esteem as well as on emotional and mental health and wellbeing.
“It’s great to see that as well as ensuring children know what to do if they are being bullied, that a lot of the activities were based around kindness and positivity. The Covid pandemic has really underlined how small acts of kindness and consideration can help break down barriers and brighten the lives of those around us.”
Headteacher Darren Brown said: “We would all like the world to be a constantly great place, but in reality, sometimes it can be tough. We aim to ensure children have the resilience and knowledge to be successful now and in their futures. Anti-bullying week is one of the ways we ensure that our children know the signs of bullying and what to do if they ever have a time when they feel under threat/attack/or feel they are being bullied. ‘One Kind Word’ fits perfectly with our aims at Longwell Green to empower children to know they have the ability to change the world around them, sometimes in a grand way, or sometimes with one small word.”
For more information about Anti-bullying Week visit https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/
