FRIENDSHIP and bullying were the focus of a very special week at Bincombe Valley School in Weymouth.

As part of the national Say No To Bullying week, pupils at the school spent their days learning about looking after each other and who to turn to if someone was being nasty to them.

Over the course of the week, pupils learned about bullying and what to do if they were bullied. At the suggestion of pupil members of the School Council, everyone in the school had to design and draw an anti-bullying poster. Each year also gave out and received friendship stickers and tokens and at the end of the week, it turned out that the Year 2 pupils were the winners, having given and received the highest number.

Teacher Di Rankin explained: “It has been national Say No To Bullying week and the children have been doing it as part of SEAL, the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning scheme.

“They have been focusing on friendship because the school has a good record if it.”

She added that Shannon and Martin, two members of the School Council from Year 6, had been invited with representatives from other Dorset schools to an anti-bullying conference at Kingston Maurward College near Dorchester.

As this year’s national theme for Say No To Bullying week was cyber-bullying, Year Six made posters on this topic, which will go on the walls in the school’s computer classroom.

Shannon said: “We have been looking at what bullying is and if you are being bullied, what you can do. You should tell someone about it. We also learned about cyber-bullying and things like putting a private setting on your Facebook page, so only your friends can see your details.”

Martin added: “We talked about the people you can tell if you have a problem.”

Bincombe Valley School has a thriving friendship policy that runs throughout the school, from the youngest pupils to the eldest.

One of its features are the Playground Friends, who wear yellow baseball caps and patrol playtimes, making sure everyone is OK and playing happily.

Di Rankin said: “The Playground Friends are trained and when it is playtime they go out. If there is someone on their own they go up and see if they would like to play with them. “There is also a group of Year 5 pupils who organise proper playground games, such as Duck Duck Goose, at lunchtime.”