HEADMASTER’S BLOG – FRIDAY 17TH NOVEMBER

It is the end of Anti-Bullying Week and yesterday the pupils wore home clothes in support of Children in Need, but with a multi-coloured approach based on the theme of ‘All different. All equal’.

Being different is not something that comes easily to some children, as most parents of any adolescent are likely to tell you. The pressure to conform, to wear the right clothes and to say the right thing can be so pervasive that some children may be tempted to belittle anyone that stands out from the crowd.

This would be to overlook the fact that it is these outliers that go on to be the stars of tomorrow; Winston Churchill, Taylor Swift and Michael Phelps were all bullied in their younger days. Having the confidence to stand out, to have a crack and not worry what others may think of you is a precious quality and something that we all need to celebrate when we see it.

The children have been completing bullying surveys during their PSHE lessons and I hope to be able to share the results with you next week. I am confident that we do not have a bullying problem at our school but we remain vigilant and surveys such as these are a sure way to keep us looking in the right places.

Cyberbullying is perhaps bullying in its most damaging and invasive form. It can be used as a tool for exclusion, denigration and spreading rumour.

Those parents that attended the internet safety talk before half term would have heard and understood that the key to healthy online activity lies in educating our children at school and at home, keeping channels of communication open and in modelling an excellent example ourselves. Traditional responses to a high-tech issue. For more information, it is worth looking at

http://www.bullying.co.uk/?_ga=2.242646082.1794415892.1510860023-1511558667.1510860023

As the perfect counterpoint to this, it was uplifting to see so much great sport in action this week, with Wednesday’s Sedbergh Rugby Festival run in such wonderful spirit and a similar atmosphere surrounding all the hockey and netball matches. Hard-fought competition, but always played out in mutual respect. Churchill himself would approve!

Equally entertaining, but notably less educational, was the Race Night held on Saturday night in aid of the UAE Tour and its related charity, SKRUM. It was the perfect event for letting our hair down in the company of friends whilst raising money for a good cause. Many thanks to Ellie Wallis and the team for putting on such a show and generating so many laughs.

Have a great weekend.

Will

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