New approach is beating bullying
Calderhead High School is leading the way in an innovative scheme designed to crack down on violence and bullying.
Led by deputy headteacher Monica Darroch, for the last eight years the Shotts school has been trailblazing the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Programme after being identified by Police Scotland as one of the best places to trial the approach.
MVP is designed to train pupils to speak out against bullying and all forms of violent and abusive behaviour.
It focuses on an innovative bystander approach that empowers each pupil to take an active role in promoting a positive school climate.
Ms Darroch explained: “We were a school where the police identified domestic violence was quite a prevalent issue.
“We identified staff who would be good mentors and got a pupil support team on board to take it forward.
“MVP is a philosophy. It looks at changing the perception that the worst thing you can be is a grass to the worst thing you can be is a bystander.
“The training really challenges you to think about how you’d feel if it was someone in your family being affected. How would you feel if someone walked past and didn’t say anything or take steps to help?
“It’s not magic dust. It doesn’t fix everything. But it has had a massive impact across the school.”
MVP was developed in the 1990s by American educationalist Dr Jackson Katz.
Within the programme young people are identified not as victims nor perpetrators, but as empowered bystanders able to support and even challenge abusive and bullying peers.
Since its inception, the school has seen a dramatic decline in fights.
Fifth and sixth year pupils have been trained to understand MVP through the MVP playbook and then deliver teaching to first and second year pupils.
Ms Darroch said: “It’s much more powerful when it is delivered by pupils.
“MVP has created an ethos where the school is now a safe haven for a lot of these children.
“We have two main sayings at the school relating to MVP; ‘silence is violence’ and ‘have you got your friend’s back?’.
“It has also opened doors for us to get other organisations involved so we can tackle other issues like sexting.”
Ms Darroch is now a national trainer and attends other schools and conferences around Scotland to promote the improvement MVP has made at Calderhead High.
It’s much more powerful when it’s delivered by pupils - Ms Darroch