City schools awarded #YES Anti-Bullying Charter Status

Nineteen schools and youth organisations in Wolverhampton were awarded #YES Anti-Bullying Charter Status on Friday (20 November).

The charter is given to schools and youth organisations which demonstrate commitment to preventing and dealing with bullying among young people.

To achieve charter status, schools and youth organisations must submit evidence and policies to support their application based on five statements in the charter. These are:

• Having clear policies: Discussing, monitoring and reviewing anti-bullying policies on a regular basis.
• Take action: Support staff to identify and tackle bullying appropriately.
• Tell: Ensure that pupils are aware that all bullying concerns will be dealt with sensitively and effectively.
• Take action: Report back quickly to parents/carers regarding their concerns on bullying.
• Understand: Seek to learn from anti-bullying good practise elsewhere and utilise the support of City of Wolverhampton Council when appropriate.

Schools and schools which made a pledge to adhere to the charter were awarded charter status. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, winners were announced on HeadStart Wolverhampton’s social media pages to mark the final day of Anti-Bullying Week 2020.

Schools and youth organisations awarded charter status included: Eastfield Primary School, Holy Trinity Primary School, Dovecotes Primary School, Penn Hall School, Moseley Park, West Park Primary School, St Mary’s Catholic Primary Academy, Rakegate Primary School, St Luke’s CE Primary School, Dunstall Hill Primary School, Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy, St Jude’s C of E Primary School, Graiseley Primary School, Woden Primary School, Broadmeadow Special School, Uplands Junior School, Wodensfield Primary School, St Peter’s Collegiate School and The Way Youth Zone.

Suzanne Webster-Smith, Headteacher at Uplands Junior School, said: “Everybody at Uplands Junior School is delighted to have been awarded #YES Anti-Bullying Charter Status in recognition of the work being done in our school.

“Bullying can have a negative impact on the lives of young people and their families, leading to issues in confidence and emotional wellbeing which can still remain as they grow up.

“Therefore, it is important that we are recognised for our anti-bullying practises and take all of the necessary steps to ensure that bullying concerns are dealt with appropriately, so that our pupils can feel happy and respected when they are at school.”

Councillor John Reynolds, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “It is excellent that so many schools and organisations across the city have been recognised for their excellent anti-bullying work and awarded #YES Anti-Bullying Charter Status.

“Bullying affects many people, particularly in education settings, so it is vital that they pledge to prevent bullying and educate their pupils on how they can deal with bullying if it should ever occur.”

Councillor Dr Mike Hardacre, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, added: "I applaud all schools receiving the charter and commend the process of gaining the award to all our schools who work hard to deal with the issue of bullying."

This year, the charter was awarded as part of the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Youth Engagement Strategy (#YES), which launched in January 2020 and aims to help children and young people in the city feel healthy, connected and have the confidence to be themselves.

2020’s recipients bring the total number of schools and youth organisations in Wolverhampton which have received charter status to 45.

To find out more about the #YES Anti-Bullying Charter, please visit www.youthengagementstrategy.co.uk.