Respectme

F.A.B. started in 1993 when a small group of S6 pupils approached their Guidance Teacher asking for something to be done about bullying in the school. After several months of meetings with interested pupils and staff, F.A.B. was initiated and placed in the school improvement plan and things developed from there.

A survey was carried out in 1994 with 78% of pupils saying that they perceived bullying to be a problem in the school. Within two years of the initiative starting the figures had dropped to around 35%.

Today we have an S6 class of around 35-40 pupils timetabled in an afternoon block. In class we work toward an Int.1 qualification in Community Involvement. We study the behaviours of bully and victim and we do counselling and communication skills. Part of the S6 pupils' job is to meet up with a small group of S1 ‘friends' that they help during registration also in getting to know their new friends.  They patrol areas of the school, help plan and organise anti-bullying awareness raising assemblies and also act as "guides" on our S1/P7 Induction Days.

During the months of May and June the P7 Associated Primary Schools visit Hermitage and during this time we raise awareness of F.A.B. Primary liaison is also carried out in the summer term by Guidance Staff, F.A.B.S6 and S1 Year Head.

Relationships and bullying lessons are threaded throughout the school and have been written and placed within the PSEd curriculum.  We have also developed our own parent and pupil advice leaflets.

At the heart of F.A.B. lies the F.A.B Approach; the way in which we deal with bullying at Hermitage. It is essentially a mediation and restorative approach, and we have found this method to be an extremely effective and positive way of resolving bullying.  Most of our ten associated primary schools have established F.A.B. and embraced the initiative enthusiastically!