This is a guest blog written by Melanie Smiley (Data Manager) at VotesforSchools.
VotesforSchools is an organisation committed to children being informed, curious and heard on topical or sensitive issues. Anti-Bullying Week is always a key date in the calendar as the problem of bullying so deeply affects children themselves.
Anti-Bullying Week in November 2024, run by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, had ‘Choose Respect’ as its central theme. In support of this, VotesforSchools created resources to empower teachers to encourage young people to consider how they approach conflict resolution - and whether ‘respect’ was a key element of this. They then had the chance to vote and leave comments. Close to 60,000 children had their say.
70% of Secondary (11-16) and 81% of College (16+) students voted ‘Yes’ to the question, “Do you know how to resolve conflict respectfully?” They gave examples of how they would achieve this, such as ‘agreeing to disagree’ and keeping a ‘calm disposition’. For the most part, Primary pupils agreed, with 3/4s of 7-11-year olds voting ‘Yes’ to the similarly-worded question, “Do you know how to handle disagreements respectfully?”
“If we respect everyone's right to have a different opinion we shouldn't experience conflict. We don't always have to agree, but we should always try to show respect.”
Secondary student from Northumberland
Despite these results, the majority of those who responded highlighted the difficulty they have maintaining respect in the heat of the moment. A Birmingham-based Secondary student elaborated on this, arguing that “we know what we should do but it is sometimes difficult to actually do it”. In fact, some students called it a ‘lifeskill’ to be able to manage conflict respectfully, suggesting it is something that needs to be taught and subsequently, practised. Facilitating conversations like these in schools is essential if we want young people to have the skills necessary for navigating relationships in a healthy, constructive way.
The access to and popularity of social media has changed the way many conflicts arise and are addressed. In addition to the debate and vote that took place in classrooms across the country, VotesforSchools held a live webinar for children to come together in one place to make sure their voices were heard loud and clear. 1,500 children were present: 88% of Secondary students said that social media is having a negative impact on the number of bullying issues. They explained that anonymity online makes it easier to say unkind or disrespectful things to others and the tone or meaning of written communication can be easily misconstrued.
This ever-changing landscape means it’s important to have young people at the forefront of the conversation, and is why ABA selected the theme “Choose Respect” following a consultation with young people and their teachers. It’s equally important to keep these conversations happening in schools throughout the year, as over half of the students at the Secondary Anti-Bullying Week webinar thought that their schools weren’t doing enough to tackle bullying. Listening to young people and providing lessons dedicated to teaching conflict management skills could be two ways for schools to address the issue.
You can find more insights from this VoteTopic here
VotesforSchools provides weekly resources to schools that facilitate conversation and debate around tricky topics and current affairs. If you would like to give them a try for free, you can sign-up to a 14-day trial here: https://www.votesforschools.com/blog/trial/
This is a guest blog written by Melanie Smiley (Data Manager) at VotesforSchools