Get involved with Anti-Bullying Week, 11-15 November 2024
Scotland’s Anti-Bullying challenge to everyone
Anti-Bullying Week 2025
Bullying is a complex, relational and enduring problem, experienced globally and nationally by 30% of children and young people. The harms caused can be both short and long-term, with disrupting and damaging impacts on young lives.
A groundbreaking series of five new films, produced in partnership by respectme, Scotland’s Anti-Bullying Service and Solo Films, featuring talented young actors from St Andrew’s RC Secondary School, premiered at a special event in Glasgow recently.
The films, central to the 2025 Anti-Bullying Week campaign ‘Bullying – The Power of One’, spotlight the impact that bullying can have on young people and show how the strength of individual and collective power can bring about change.
respectme calls on schools and youth clubs across the country to screen the films as part of Scotland’s Anti-Bullying Week campaign (10-14 November). Teachers and Youth Leaders can access pre-prepared lesson plans and innovative resources to open a national conversation which will educate and challenge outdated mindsets and attitudes. Bullying is never acceptable, nor a forever state, and all adults can play an important role to help young people keep these vital perspectives in mind.
respectme Director, Lorraine Glass, commented: “Bullying can take away children’s feeling of control and power in their own lives, affecting their rights and human dignity. When a sense of control feels out of reach it can lead to lower aspirations, disengagement and poorer mental health and wellbeing.
“We are extremely proud to launch our 2025 campaign ‘Bullying – The Power of One’, with our films featuring the incredibly talented young actors from St Andrew’s RC Secondary School. The message from the film series is a powerful one, as we want to show how bullying can have a destructive impact on young people, creating a ripple effect for them, and the family and friends around them. But bullying will stop – it won’t be forever. It takes the power of everyone to create safe, happy, inclusive, and supportive environments where children and young people can thrive, free from bullying.
“I’d like to personally thank all of S2 and S3 pupils and staff from the school’s drama department who were invested and involved in making this five-part film a reality. Our ambition is for the films to be shown in every school and youth setting to support important conversations about bullying and its damaging impacts, as well as galvanising children and young people to become powerful anti-bullying activists who can lead change and create healthier cultures and attitudes towards bullying.”
John McGhee, Head Teacher, St Andrew’s RC Secondary School, said: “Participating in the anti-bullying film has empowered our students to speak out, support one another, and foster a culture of kindness. It’s been a transformative experience for the whole school, strengthening our values and giving young people a voice that truly matters.”
Paul Fee, Director, Solo Films, said: “The value of these films cannot be underestimated, made all the more so by the fantastic enthusiasm and talent of the young actors who brought a truth to the films through their lived experience.”
Cabinet Secretary for Education, Jenny Gilruth said: “Bullying is never acceptable and it is essential we continue to build respectful, inclusive and supportive school communities where all young people feel safe, valued and able to reach their full potential.
“These powerful films from respectme for Anti-Bullying Week 2025 show just how deeply bullying can affect children and young people. Peer-led approaches can truly transform school culture. I hope young people across Scotland use these films and resources to speak up, support one another, and make every school a place where kindness and respect thrive.”
Anti-Bullying Week 2025 | respectme
Start with the Heart
Scotland’s ‘respectme reward’ earns global recognition 
respectme, Scotland’s Anti-Bullying Service, launched their ‘Start with the Heart’ (Positive practices in anti-bullying) publication today (Thursday 12 June 2025) while attending the fifth World Anti-Bullying Forum held in Stavanger, Norway. Established in 2017, the biannual conference brings together researchers, policymakers and practitioners from across the globe.
respectme gained international recognition and was selected to participate in the prestigious event by staging a workshop. During the session colleagues shared highlights from Scotland’s unique ‘respectme reward’ which supports schools and youth settings to measure the impact of their anti-bullying work across the themes of prevention, response and inclusion. During the presentation, Service Director, Lorraine Glass, welcomed the launch of the report and delivered key insights from an array of positive practices in bullying from across Scotland’s educational settings.
Lorraine Glass, respectme’s Director, commented: “Bullying is a global problem; studies suggest that a third of the globe’s youth are bullied. This is a very important meeting point in the work and research against bullying so it’s vitally important for us to join others on the global stage to promote Scotland’s anti-bullying approach, as well as highlighting the work taking place in Scotland.
“Placing the safety, health, wellbeing and happiness of all children and young people at the heart of everything we do is our ultimate purpose. Our work is driven by children’s rights legislation and underpinned by the values of fairness, respect, equality, and inclusion. We developed, designed and piloted our unique respectme reward programme back in 2020. It is a validated self-assessment method, which seeks to test the gap between local policy and practice by examining the impact of anti-bullying work, correlated with measures on how safe children and young people report feeling in their school or youth setting, as well as data from parents/carers and staff/volunteers.
“A coveted ‘reward’ certificate is presented upon completion, and good practice is shared widely. Gaining a reward does not mean that there is no bullying in that school or setting – instead it shows that the whole school or group community are committed to, and relentlessly persistent, in their anti-bullying ambitions, which start with the heart!”
Across Scotland, 30 schools have now received their ‘respectme reward ‘, which reflects compelling evidence that their anti-bullying policy and practice is creating inclusive environments where the significant majority of children and young people report feeling safe as a consequence.
Respectful relationships can help to prevent bullying
-300.jpg)
Respect is at the heart of how we all treat each other. Whether face to face or online, too many children and young people in Scotland experience bullying that impacts their lives, strips them of their rights and denies them their dignity.
Our annual Anti-Bullying Week event is a fantastic opportunity to showcase great examples of anti-bullying policy and practice being led by schools in Scotland, as well as reinforcing the message that bullying is never acceptable and that it is not an inevitable part of growing up.
The theme of ‘respect’, designed to align with the launch of the Scottish Government’s updated ‘Respect for All’ anti-bullying guidance, encouraged people to talk and think about how the power of respectful relationships can help to prevent bullying. Aimed at schools and youth settings, our portfolio of learning resources, which are available to download for free all year round, promoted the importance of respectful relationships, understanding differences, and the value of kindness. The campaign theme also spotlighted the significant impact bullying can have on young lives, where mental, physical and emotional wellbeing can all be undermined.
We saw a phenomenal response to the campaign theme this year, with analytics revealing that we reached over 70% of the school-age audience across all local authority areas in Scotland. This means that more than 500,000 school children and young people took part in our national conversation about respect, from over 900 schools and settings in Scotland – and even a few in England and Wales! The success of our campaign messaging is also a testament to the commitment and energy of teachers, parents and youth workers who help bring safety and happiness to young lives.
One of the many highlights of Anti-Bullying Week came from a partnership with Dunfermline High School’s S1 art students, who worked hard to create a thought-provoking anti-bullying film which formed the key feature of our Assembly toolkit for schools and youth settings. Watch the film at: https://vimeo.com/1026150235/510a9d19d9
The week also saw us out on the road celebrating with staff and pupils from St Patrick’s Primary School, Carmunnock Primary School and Dunfermline High School, who have all been successful in securing our impressive respectme reward. The reward, following a rigorous self-assessment process, officially recognises schools for creating anti-bullying spaces where children and young people feel safe, respected and able to learn and reach their full potential – confident that bullying is being prevented from happening in the first place, and then responded to effectively when it does happen.
Don’t forget to tag our social media channels to share any good work you’ve been doing to create safe anti-bullying spaces. All our Anti-Bullying Week resources; ‘Respect - What does it mean to you’, and previous campaign resources are available on our website.
It’s so easy to continue, or to start your new anti-bullying journey, explore the ‘Campaigns and resources’ tab, or register for our free e-Learning courses.
As 2024 comes to an end, we wish all our colleagues and supporters a happy festive season and a peaceful new year, thank you for all that you do to help our little team aim high.
See you in 2025!
New ‘Respect for All’ – The National Approach to Anti-Bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People – launching later this year
Refreshed anti-bullying guidance is set to be launched later this year and is for everyone who works with, or cares for, children and young people across Scotland.
‘Respect for All: The National Approach to Anti-Bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People aims to ensure that all sectors and communities are consistently and coherently contributing to a holistic approach to anti-bullying.
The refreshed guidance will support all adults working with children and young people to create safe and inclusive environments where bullying cannot thrive.
Looking ahead to the launch of the refreshed ‘Respect for All’, Lorraine Glass, Director of respectme, said:
“We welcomed the opportunity to work collaboratively with the Scottish Government and other vital partners in the sector to develop this refreshed guidance to ensure children and young people experience a coherent and consistent approach to bullying.
“For all adults who play a role in the lives of children and young people, this guidance creates a vital opportunity for renewed focus and energy on preventing and responding effectively to bullying, to ensure every child in Scotland realises their right to live free from bullying and harassment.
“We welcome the emphasis this guidance places on early intervention to prevent bullying, by promoting positive climates and relationships based on respect. When implemented well, the focus on creating inclusive environments, together with the explicit message that bullying motivated by prejudiced attitudes has no place in Scotland, will combine to create a safe, happy and healthy context for learning and play for all children and young people.”
Get involved with Anti-Bullying Week, 11-15 November 2024
This Anti-Bullying Week we are asking adults and young people alike to get involved in our national conversation … Respect - what does it mean to you?
#respectmeans #respectme
The focus of our week-long campaign will be to encourage everyone to talk and think about how the power of respectful relationships can help to prevent bullying.
Respect is at the heart of how we ALL treat each other. Whether face to face or online, too many children and young people in Scotland experience bullying that impacts their lives, strips them of their rights and denies them their dignity.
We can all play our part to help create a positive and inclusive environment in our schools, youth clubs, and communities because everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to grow up free from bullying.
Register to access free learning resources
By signing up to our new online Anti-Bullying Week account, you will be able to access free resources and materials designed to help young people explore what respect is, and what it means.
Resources will be available from 10 October from our dedicated Anti-Bullying Week online space which sits via our Campaigns and Resources page. We’ll also be plotting out all the amazing support and involvement on our 2024 campaign map, so you’ll be invited to give your consent to that option when you register.
RSS