Last week Year 8’s at Sidcot welcomed 28 Year 8’s from Hugh Sexeys to take part in their annual anti-bullying workshop.
Students were encouraged to explore the story of Pete; a young boy who is isolated and picked on for being different to his peers. Four talented Upper Sixth Sidcot students who are doing A Level drama and hope to go to Drama school performed Pete’s story and then lead group activities, working as mentors to both their fellow Sidcotians and their guests.
Students from both schools showed a great deal of courage and kindness when discussing the issues surrounding the topic of bullying. They were able to create and analyse performances to show how our actions and decisions can affect someone in a profound way, using theatre to inspire positive change.
Lorna Wainwright from Hugh Sexeys said that: “It is not enough to just tell a teacher. We need to all work together to stop people being bullied.” This sentiment was shared by students from both schools, with Olivia Fortune, Sidcot, adding: “If everyone is honest and kind then no one needs to feel bad because of other people.” The students were united in their firm stance against bullying indicating that the best solution is prevention; stopping a situation from escalating by thinking before we speak and treating others with respect and kindness.
Sidcot is proud of the fact that bullying is a word rarely heard at the school but feel it is important to take an active approach to keep bullying out of everyone’s lives. Drama provides an excellent way of exploring such themes and gives children the opportunity to express their thoughts. This is one of the reasons drama is centrally placed in the curriculum at Sidcot and is a very popular option at GCSE and A Level and through the IB. Drama scholarships (along with talent and academic scholarships) are available for September 2016 – application deadline is 1 February.