How to lead discussions about different families May 2017 Families Week How to lead discussions about different families May 2017

It is the right of every child at Southwold, Orchard and Hoxton Garden Primary Schools to feel safe and secure at school and have every opportunity to enjoy learning without distraction from others. It is the right of every parent to know that their child is safe, treated fairly and will be supported to develop the skills to enable them to engage positively in our communities.

What makes us different? It’s good to be different - it would be very boring if we were all the same! Our likes & dislikes How we look Where we come from Our families What we are good at Highlight that one of the reasons on the last slide that people get bullied is because they are different. Ask the children to tell you what things make them different from their friends. Highlight that no one should be bullied or made fun of because they are different. Then highlight that the theme of this year’s anti bullying week is to stop bullying for ALL children. Bullying can have long term effects on the targets of bullying but also the people who witness it and commit it. Children who are bullied are more likely to miss school and fail exams which leads to having low academic achievements, stay away from extracurricular activities, have a limited social life and struggle to form trusting relationships. Children who frequently bully others are more likely to drop out of or be expelled from school, abuse alcohol and drugs in adolescence and as adults, engage in criminal behaviour and develop depression or anxiety. Children who witness bullying are more likely to be reluctant to attend school, feel powerless and live in fear and guilt. Bullying affects everyone who is exposed to it and it creates a negative environment based on a culture of fear and limits children and young people in reaching their full academic potential. This must be stopped. We are all unique! No one should be bullied for the things that make them different

As a school we have a duty to promote the wellbeing of all children in our care This includes: Children of single parent families Children of merged families (living with Stepdad or Stepmum) Children of same sex parents Children living with grandparents or other relatives Children living with foster parents Children who have been adopted Children who are carers to family members Children who have family members with disabilities Ofsted’s framework looks closely at a schools efforts to tackle bullying and how the school supports the needs of distinct groups of people.

Resources

Art Day

We have a lot of conversations with a range of books that discuss different families. Books to help you explain:

Families Week is a great week to share and celebrate similarities and differences between each of us in our school community.