The purpose of the staff briefing
Anti-Bullying Week 2026 runs from Monday 16 to Friday 20 November and the theme is Break the Silence. The briefing should make adult responses as clear as pupil messages: what bullying means, who receives a concern, how it is recorded and what happens next.
Ten focused minutes can be enough when staff already know the policy. If roles, thresholds or recording remain unclear, use a longer session before the week rather than trying to solve operational gaps while pupils are taking part.
A practical 10-minute agenda
Use five points: the 2026 dates and theme, the school definition, the first adult response, the reporting and safeguarding route, and follow-up after the campaign. Finish by giving staff one contact for questions.
Provide the same information in writing for absent, temporary and support staff. Lunchtime, transport, office and classroom teams may notice different parts of a pattern, so the route must not depend on attending one meeting.
Agree shared language
Bullying needs to be recognised and addressed. Staff should also be able to explain how it differs from a disagreement, friendship fallout or one-off unkind behaviour. Those situations may still need support even when they do not meet the bullying definition.
Give staff two fictional examples and ask what information matters: behaviour, repetition or potential repetition, power, impact, setting and what the pupil fears may happen next. Children should not be expected to apply a formal label before asking for help.
Rehearse the first adult response
A useful first response is: listen calmly, thank the pupil, check immediate safety, avoid investigating beyond the adult's role and explain what will happen next. Staff should not promise secrecy or an instant result.
Use a short sentence adults can remember: I am glad you told me. I need to share this with the person who can help us decide the next step. This protects trust while keeping safeguarding and professional boundaries clear.
Make the reporting route exact
Name who records concerns, which approved system is used, who reviews the information and when a safeguarding lead must be involved. Explain cover arrangements when a named colleague is absent and what staff should do outside normal hours.
Ask staff to separate the pupil's words, observed facts, professional judgement and action taken. Informal corridor conversations can become part of a pattern, so relevant information should not remain only in personal notes or memory.
Include online behaviour and evidence
Remind staff that group chats, screenshots, shared images and online exclusion can affect attendance, relationships and learning in school. Follow the school's online-safety and safeguarding procedures rather than assuming behaviour outside school is automatically outside the pastoral route.
Explain how evidence should be received and stored. Pupils should not be asked to forward harmful content widely, post it publicly or remain in an unsafe online space to collect more proof.
Brief staff on assemblies and workshops
Share the assembly or workshop content, likely pupil questions and the language that teachers should reinforce. Confirm which staff remain present during live delivery and who can respond if a pupil asks for private help afterwards.
HIP Psychology's live online P4-P7 workshop focuses on what bullying is, what it is not, power, conflict and safe help-seeking. School staff remain responsible for the local reporting route and any individual concern.
Follow up after the week
Ask staff to note where pupils remain unclear about definitions, trusted adults or what happens after reporting. Review whether any concern raised during the week received the promised next step and whether families need clear communication.
Use the feedback to improve policy, induction, supervision or classroom reminders. Anti-Bullying Week is most valuable when it exposes a system that needs strengthening and the school acts on what it learns.