Bullying is something that no one should ever have to experience, and one West Cumbrian school has stepped up to educate their students about the consequences of bullying as part of a national campaign.

As part of Anti-Bullying Week, which took place from November 16-20, pupils at St Bees School learnt all about bullying and its effects.

The campaign was created by the Anti-Bullying Alliance and encourages schools to talk about the devastating impact bullies can have on the lives of others.

With a huge focus on developing the characters of the students that attend St Bees School, it was an important subject to cover, stressing the importance of kindness being a key part of their lives.

Kicking the week off, deputy head and designated safeguarding lead Andrew Keep delivered a hard-hitting, factual presentation to students and staff which covered a wide range of topics, including what bullying is, who can be affected, how people who are bullied can react, and why the school enforces their no-tolerance policy.

Mr Keep said: “It is a very important conversation to have with both students and staff.

“Bullying can get out of hand very quickly, and a lot of the time bullies fail to see the impact they actually have on the lives of the people they are targeting.”

He continued: “The students seemed very shocked to realise just how fast things can escalate.

“A simple joke or ‘banter’ can easily turn into a serious situation, and we want our students to be aware of that so they can make a more informed choice when interacting with each other, where they are kind and caring to one another.”

Other activities included a 'banter or bullying' exercise with the Year 7s during their daily mentoring time, as well as the introduction of Kooth – a free counselling service for all pupils, should they feel the need to talk to someone outside the school about their mental health.

“We encourage our students to talk to us about how they feel, but we also understand that it is sometimes easier to talk to someone you don’t know, especially someone who is trained to discuss these difficult topics,” Mr Keep added.

While anti-bullying has been the theme of the week at the school, it is important to note that bullying is not tolerated all year round at the school.

With students now fully equipped with knowledge about bullying, and an ever-growing community, alongside their no-tolerance policy when it comes to bullying, St Bees School is leading the way for a happy, healthy learning environment for all who learn and work in the school community.