Pupils inspired to raise funds for campaign by anti-bullying lessons

When children were ejected from their classroom because of their gender, beliefs or background, their classmates were bewildered.

But the hard-hitting lesson about bullying was so profound for Coaltown of Balgonie Primary School pupils they went on to raise money to help ensure other youngsters benefit.

The Fife school was among the first to receive the lesson in staying safe online in a campaign inspired by The Courier’s series on bullying.

Anti-bullying speaker Dave Scott started by asking children questions about their identity – then sending them from the room if they were different to him.

It was his way of highlighting different types of discrimination, including sectarianism, racism and sexism, and how these can materialise in violence, verbal abuse, isolation and online abuse.

Dave is director of the equalities charity Nil By Mouth and was delivering the charity’s Pause B4 U Post programme, which aims to help children understand the impact of online bullying and discrimination.

The campaign uses a role-play workshop to encourage children to consider online behaviour, how the material they post can be seen by others, what online abuse is and what to do if it happens to them.

The pupils were so inspired that they held a games night afterwards and raised almost £100 to support the charity’s work.

Dave said: “The idea behind Pause B4U Post is to create an environment allowing young people to feel able to discuss how social media impacts on their lives and help them feel confident to ask for help if needed or be more aware of the potential consequences of actions.

“We don’t go into schools to sensationalise issues or to try and scare them off using and enjoying social media.

“Instead, we help them think through how they would approach realistic situations from receiving unwanted messages to dealing with group chat messages which might be discriminatory or encourage bullying.

“Coaltown of Balgonie was one of the first schools to sign up for the programme after Covid restrictions started to ease and it was such a great place to visit. The children had a very mature and honest discussion and the fact they felt the message was important enough to hold a fundraiser for our cause makes things even sweeter.”

Those ejected from the classroom were warned what was going to happen, but their classmates were not.

It’s an approach Dave says illustrates discrimination in a way children can relate to.

In a role play scenario, he also sends negative messages to four pupils about a classmate who is excluded from the group then presents the class with options for responding: do nothing, leave the chat, change the subject or screenshot the image.

Teacher Ailsa Mackie said: “The children were hooked the minute Dave walked through the door by his enthusiasm, humour and charisma.

“They had great fun learning some really important life lessons, particularly on communicating appropriately with their peers through social media.

“The experience has stuck with them and will for many years to come.”

ROLE PLAY: Pupils at Coaltown of Balgonie Primary School took part in the Pause B4 U Post lessons run by Nil By Mouth.