York High tackles bullying

Salette Cloete

Bullying is one of the big issues school children struggle with, be it as the bully or the victim. This is why the Pastoral Panel at York High School, a group of learners looking after the emotional well-being of the learners, decided to step in.

Chara Scholtz, from the Pastoral Panel, says she feels really strongly about this issue and ways to help those learners. "Broken people do broken things, so we want to try and heal those people." Ten other schools ear to the ground, listen for these type of in the area are also involved and they look situations and try to gain the trust of those forward to finding ways to support each learners to tell their stories." other. The learners made

If something physical is done to

Delina van Niekerk, various posters about the head teacher of the a learner is it easy to see, but it’s the bullies and being bullied panel, says there are two emotional abuse, the hurtful words, - there is even a "no bully members of the Pastoral zone". Van Niekerk says

that we need to look out for.

Panel in each class, and the school has a strict they try to motivate their policy of no tolerance and fellow peers. holds disciplinary hearings.

"They are also the ones who keep their "If something physical is done to a learner, it is easy to see, but it's the emotional abuse, the hurtful words, that we need to look out for. So we as counsellors at the schools take the process further to get behind the cause of the problem." The school kicked off their anti-bullying week on Monday with a short play illustrating what bullying looks or sounds like, and how to counter such behaviour. The programme for the rest of the week includes York's Pastoral Panel handing out lollipops with encouraging quotes on Tuesday; hosting a guest speaker on Wednesday who shared his story own story and encouraged the learners to do it too; presenting an anti-bullying simulation today (Thursday), and finally, a civvies day on Friday where all learners at all of the schools involved will wear blue in a stand against bullying.

York learners performed a short production on being bullied and how to act towards bullies on Monday. INSET: York High learner Chara Scholtz (left) and teacher Delina van Niekerk of the Pastoral Panel. They aim to help bully victims as well as learners...