Which educational programme is suitable for tackling bullying, and why is it beneficial to use one?
Mirte: “One example is Kanjertraining: a Healthy School activity that promotes trust, safety, calm and mutual respect. Like all other Healthy School activities, Kanjertraining is an intervention that has been proven effective. In practice, we still sometimes encounter a lack of continuity and a structural approach. But as with other subject matter, repetition is precisely where much of the strength lies. And an annual, school-wide activity supported by everyone has proven to be the most successful.”
How can we involve students and make them feel responsible for their own behaviour towards others?
Mirte: “A good example is organising Anti-Bullying Week. This is an annual national project week organised by Stichting School & Veiligheid. You can give students the opportunity to help organise all kinds of activities. Educational and fun for everyone. In this way, students themselves work towards a safe school environment. To ensure that it does not remain a one-off activity, it is advisable to also record that Anti-Bullying Week will take place every year. This way, every student experiences the week several times and preparations begin in good time.”
How can teachers set a good example of pleasant interaction with one another?
Vivian: “By greeting one another and treating each other respectfully. Students often notice much more than teachers and staff realise; it is good to make one another aware of the example we set. This contributes to a pleasant atmosphere at school. It is also good for teachers to consider whether they feel confident and capable when addressing sensitive topics such as bullying or shame sexting. After all, the better you are able to guard your own boundaries, the better you can convey this to your students. Is there a need at school to sharpen these skills? There are suitable training courses that provide teachers with the right tools.”
How can we involve parents in school policy?
Vivian: “Parents pick up on different signals from their child in the home environment. It is therefore very sensible to involve parents in school policy and ask them for input or feedback. This allows you to respond immediately and appropriately and work together to create a safer environment for students. For example, you could give the parent council a role in organising Anti-Bullying Week. You can also explain various aspects of a specific part of school policy to parents during the ten-minute meetings, or write about it in a newsletter.”
How can you prevent undesirable behaviour in the class app?
Mirte: “You can draw up rules of conduct with the whole class in order to create a safe online environment. By consciously discussing this in class and having students reflect and talk about it, you create support and a sense of responsibility. The mentor can also regularly ask students how they think things are going, so that they can remain alert to problems. All these different approaches reinforce one another, embedding the safe atmosphere.”
How do you incorporate work on students’ resilience and social skills into policy?
Vivian: “By drawing up a school safety plan. In it, you record which programmes you use, such as Kanjertraining, Anti-Bullying Week or the Healthy School activity Life Skills. Pay attention to school and behavioural rules regarding the desired school culture. The plan also specifies the exact responsibilities of everyone involved, all other support structures, and how rules and policy will continue to be enforced. Even if your school has a Healthy School coordinator, it is still advisable not to place matters relating to a healthy lifestyle solely on the shoulders of this one person. Recording agreements also helps with this.”
When working with the Healthy School approach, do you constantly need to focus on the four pillars?
Mirte: “No, with the Healthy School approach Well-being you automatically work on all four pillars: Education, School Environment, Identification and Policy. The approach starts from what a school is already doing, builds on this and aligns with the school’s wishes and needs. This creates a cohesive whole. The approach consists of six steps and ensures that all the efforts and developments a school undertakes around a health topic are properly embedded. In this case, that means working on resilience and social skills. As a result, students feel safe and comfortable. And that is what you strive for!”