A group of five adults with learning disabilities and three support staff currently visit schools in the Inverness area making anti-bullying presentations to pupils (normally between 11 and 14 years). The project was initiated by ENABLE who supply booklets, postcards and posters for distribution to the pupils. The theme is the effect of bullying by children of people with learning disabilities which is an area of great concern to the disabled. Since September 2003 the group has presented to over 500 children. Feedback from pupils, school staff and the adults involved in the presentations is very positive. For more information telephone Robbie Thomson or Patricia MacKenzie at the Corbett Centre, Inverness on 01463 729282.

The 'Open your mind, not your mouth' leaflet is published by Enable, Scotland's largest organisation for people with learning disabilities and their families. Visit their website.
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Papers from the ABN and SSEN 2003 Parents’ Conference Now Online. This conference was in association with Angus Council. If you missed this conference or you want to refresh your memory, have a look at the events section of the SSEN website. To read about the Primary to Secondary Transition (Willie French, Development Officer, The City of Edinburgh) or Parent School Partnerships (Leila Martin, Headteacher at Colliston Primary School) simply follow the link above.
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Renfrewshire Council has added an anti-bullying section to their website. Visitors to the site can now download the Council’s new policy document ‘Tackling Bullying in Renfrewshire’ which looks at ways of preventing and dealing with bullying in school. The section also provides local contact details and links to the ABN and ChildLine websites.

To access the new anti-bullying section please search the Council’s homepage (click their logo) using the term ‘bullying’.
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ChildLine has a 12 page guide for teachers and other professionals who are interested in setting up a Peer Support scheme. Download the .pdf document here. The ABN and Ethos Networks have recently received a number of enquiries about peer support. One teacher wondered how we can meet the needs of P7 mentors who move up to secondary school and want to continue as mentors in S1. ‘Pupils who are keen to continue their giving role.’

Can you help? We’d be very interested to hear about work being done in this area. Please contact Kate Betney at the ABN/SSEN. Telephone: 0131 651 6100 or email us.
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What makes a Pupil Council work well and what might hold it back? As part of an ongoing programme to encourage effective Pupil Councils, Clackmannanshire Council asked the pupils themselves. In 2003, representatives from all the Pupil Councils in Clackmannanshire schools were involved in training organised by the company Dynamix. The key areas arising from the pupil discussions fell into five main headings: Meetings - where, when and how; Making the Council truly representative; What should and should not be discussed?; Communication - getting information from and to pupils and staff; and also What are the signs of an effective PC? Pupils were also asked to think about their own Pupil Council in terms of a hot air balloon - things holding it down, helping it take off, people on board and things which might blow it off course. Some of the main ideas from the pupils and staff are contained in the publication Clackmannanshire Pupil Councils: report on training and support, Clackmannanshire Council. For more information please contact Hélène Witcher at Clackmannanshire Council, telephone 01259 450000.
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On 26 February 2004, the SSEN and the ABN launched the School Ethos Database. It provides useful information about anti-bullying and positive ethos resources, organisations and strategies. It will be of interest to a wide range of users including teachers, managers, students, parents and researchers. So, if you want to find out more about positive discipline, anti-bullying, peer support, pupil participation or some other area of school ethos have a look at the database.
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The Scottish Executive wants to know what support and help people need to prevent and respond to bullying, and what anti-bullying services should be provided in Scotland. They asked the TASC Agency (an independent company) to investigate this for them. The TASC Agency have interviewed professional people, parents and carers, children and young people from all over Scotland, and provided online surveys for people to have their say. This process was due to be completed by March 2004. For more information contact Colin Morrison at the TASC Agency by phone on 0131 555 3527 or by email. To contact the Scottish Executive directly to talk about the project write to Rod Burns at the Pupil Support Branch 3, Scottish Executive Education Department, 3a North, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ or email him.