The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

Bullying

Sarah Grant

Tackling bullying, extremism and radicalisation in schools

Bullying, extremism and radicalisation should have no place in the educational landscape, yet unfortunately, these issues pervade schools. Optimus is launching a new self-study course to equip school staff to proactively address these problems and create safer and more inclusive learning...
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Gareth D Morewood

Disablist bullying has no place in our schools, so why is it on the rise?

We have a duty to ensure that all pupils can learn without prejudice, but recent statistics prove that there's still work to be done. A few years ago we took part in a project co-led by the Anti-Bullying Alliance and World of Inclusion to challenge disablist bullying in schools. In all my time...
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Jack Procter-Blain

Bullying in schools: don't play the Trump card

The president-elect is a poor role model for young people. But to address the causes of bullying, we must go deeper. Notorious for his inflammatory remarks, is Donald Trump the bully-in-chief? Photo credit: Gage Skidmore The timing couldn't have been better. A US election you could mistake for...
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Steve Baker

Establishing high expectations of behaviour

Steve Baker explains how to put good behaviour at the centre of your school ethos. How should we go about setting high expectations? The behaviour policy is not a bad place to start. Does it focus on positive behaviours for learning? The worst policies are a thinly disguised list of complaints...
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Gareth D Morewood

The shocking truth about disablist bullying

How do we protect children with SEN from disablist bullying? Gareth D Morewood shares some shocking facts. I recently spoke at an event where I was fortunate to hear a talk from the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA). The ABA defines bullying as ‘the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group...
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