Anti Bullying Ambassadors
The Anti Bullying Ambassador initiative was created by the Diana Award, a charity that was founded on Diana, Princess of Wales’ belief that young people have the power to change their community, their country and the world. They exist to empower young people to make that positive change.
Crofton Juniors introduced Anti-Bullying Ambassadors (or ABAs, as they are known), in the autumn term, 2021. At the beginning of the academic year, the ambassadors hold and assembly to let everyone know what they're doing. We've shared a copy of the PowerPoint presentation for everyone here:
ABA Assembly, Wednesday 20 September
Children from Year 4 – 6 take part in official anti-bullying training which enables them to positively support someone who comes to them when they are worried about bullying. They have regular meetings in which they discuss strategies to promote anti-bullying throughout the school and take part in projects to raise awareness of various issues.
They wear rainbow lanyards and badges so that they are easily identifiable on the playground. Children know that they can talk to an ambassador anytime that they feel upset or think they might be experiencing bullying. The ambassador will employ active listening skills so that they can then be pointed in the right direction. Sometimes all that’s needed is a friendly listening ear and at other times, they will need to see a member of staff who can help the situation further.
Part of the training includes understanding more about bullying. These are some of the key fundamentals that children are taught:
So what is bullying?
For behaviour to be bullying, it has to meet 3 criteria:
1) It is repeated behaviour: It has happened more than once.
2) It is intentional: It has been done on purpose, not by accident.
3) The behaviour is negative: It is meant to hurt or upset you.
So how can we spot bullying behaviour?
You can remember this by using V.I.P
V is for Verbal – repeatedly saying something meant to upset someone.
I is for Indirect – Doing things behind someone’s back or not directly to their face in order to upset them.
P is for Physical – Repeatedly using body contact to hurt or upset someone.
In order to be effective ABAs they have to…
*attend meetings where we discuss ideas and strategies to promote anti-bullying throughout the school
*take part in projects to raise awareness of various issues
*make videos to educate and inform others
*complete official training from The Diana Award team.
*be active on the playground at lunchtime and breaktime, ready to help any children who might be in need of support.
BADGES
STOP PRESS... JANUARY 2024.... 3RD BADGE AWARDED 
We take immense pleasure in announcing our award of the Community badge from the Diana Trust in recognition of our community involvement since the Summer Term of the previous year. This stands as a remarkable accomplishment for our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, and we trust that they take pride in the diligent efforts they have dedicated to this cause.
The Diana Award eloquently encapsulated our achievements, affirming that we were bestowed with the Anti-Bullying Ambassador Community Badge due to our demonstration of:
- Your commitment to aiding the local area by holding an appeal for Bromley Brighter Beginnings, thus benefiting local families facing financial hardship.
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the school's successful efforts to raise over £4000 for a range of charities, whilst your children had an amazing time running the variety of stalls.
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Your creativity by running a school wide competition to design an antibullying poster, alongside involving the local library and promoting the work of your school.
- Your commitment to ensuring that your Ambassadors were engaging with all aspects of the community, by meeting with the older generation to talk about their experiences of bullying.
- Your dedication to ensuring your local area is truly benefiting from your work, by promoting the work of The Diana Award, and providing information on bullying behaviour.
As well as their day-to-day responsibilities, ABAs also work on special campaigns targeting specific areas and earn badges once there are completed successfully.
The first badge was called the Respect badge which we earned by running a campaign that championed diversity and inclusion and promoted equal rights in the school community, particularly focussing on disability.
For this they wrote a book titled ‘Disability Acceptance and Understanding’ which included biographies of famous people with disabilities and explanations of some hidden disabilities. They also produced a video to introduce the book and explain some of the concepts in it.
The second badge we earned was the Wellbeing badge, for encouraging positive wellbeing and spreading kindness in the school community.
For this they organised a Wellbeing competition during the October half term holidays and introduced a Shining Star Award for children and staff.
They have also…
- organised an Anti-Bullying poster competition
- arranged an anti-bullying survey of years 4-6, which over 500 children responded to.
- represented the school at the Lord Mayor’s Parade, where we marched with ABAs from all over London. Please take a look at the Powerpoint below which contains videos of the ABAs on the day!
Having ABAs at Crofton has helped make the school a friendlier and more inclusive place to be. A place where bullying and abusive behaviour isn’t tolerated and we can all reach our full potential.
Please watch the video below to meet some of our fantastic ambassadors and hear what they think about their roles!
Brighter Beginnings Campaign
As a part of our community outreach run by the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors during the Autumn Term, we organised a collection of chocolate advent calendars or chocolate coins in support of Bromley Brighter Beginnings.
Bromley Brighter Beginnings, it is a local charity that harnesses the power of community to provide essential baby, child and household items to families living in Bromley in financial hardship. Their aims are:
- to raise awareness about the level of poverty in the London Borough of Bromley and the impact of this poverty on the lives of children and their parents;
- to fund occasional activities & essentials for women and children living in domestic violence refuges;
- to signpost families to other local sources of support as necessary;
- to thereby reduce stress, anxiety and depression, which will in turn help the children in these deprived families; and
- to facilitate the recycling of baby- and child-related items that the original owners no longer use.
A heartfelt expression of gratitude goes out to the wonderful children and parents of our school community. Your generous contributions were nothing short of extraordinary! Your kindness will bring joy to many families this holiday season.
Miss O'Hara and the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors
