Anti-Bullying Week exploring the theme 'Power for Good'
Staff and pupils came together to mark Anti-Bullying Week with a series of informative events around the theme of 'Power for Good'. Pupils benefitted from community-building events such as the Kindness Boogie to enlightening learning experiences. These included workshops on Cyberbullying, Learning4Life lessons on upstanding and an incredibly powerful talk on inclusion from internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Shao Hao.
“Our theme this week is ‘Power for Good’. And we aim to help every child in the school understand the importance of being an upstander—someone who calls out bullying and supports others —rather than being a bystander.”
Sam Brown, Head of Pastoral Care
Pre-Prep and Prep breaktime 'Kindness Boogie'
The Kindness Committee organised an 11am breaktime ‘Kindness Boogie’ disco for everyone in the Prep and Pre-Prep to have fun and dance with friends, which was a big hit and brought everyone together.
"The anti-bullying theme ‘Power for Good’ is really meaningful, as it focuses on the importance of being proactive. We explored how everyone can support their friends and thought about who our pupils can talk to. We highlighted that it’s okay to make mistakes – as long as we learn from them."
Caroline Oglethorpe, Head of the Pre-Prep
Talk and performance by singer-songwriter Shao Hao on 'Power for Good'
We were honoured to welcome internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Shao Hao for an inspiring talk and performance around the Anti-Bullying Alliance theme 'Power for Good'.
"It was epic to meet Shao and it made me think more about what I say to other people.”
Rory, Year 8
Shao spoke to pupils in Years 6-8 about his own life experiences and challenges and what he's learnt along the way. Journeying from China to Scotland and now London, Shao shared moving stories of difficulty including the challenges of living across two countries. He reminded us that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling of belonging, and that we can all help create this for others.
Through stories and songs, our pupils were encouraged to be accepting, to check in on friends even if they seem happy, to be kind and to be proud of who they are.
Shao also highlighted the importance of celebrating differences—whether around LGBTQ+ identities or neurodiversity—and to always be true to ourselves.
"There's only one of you in the world. Never stop being proud of who you are"
Shao Hao
Shao Hao was greatly enjoyed by all and left us with so much to reflect on.
Year 8 learnt how to stay positive, safe, healthy and legal online
'It was just banter' - is no defence in a court of law, our Year 8 pupils heard during a 'Click, Share, Beware' All Rise Workshop this week.
All Rise founder and former Westbourne House teacher, James Stewart, explained how the law impacts on online actions. He discussed a range of online activities the children might be involved in and their possible legal consequences including when cyberbullying crosses the line into illegal activity.
Mr Stewart emphasised the need for our Year 8s to have online boundaries and outlined helpful tips on how to stay positive, safe, healthy and legal online.
