Kids across Greater Manchester take part in first ever virtual Anti-Bullying Assembly
It's as new stats show half of children in classrooms have been bullied
This morning, celebrities have joined forces with The Diana Award and Nationwide Building Society to host the first ever virtual ‘The Big Anti-Bullying Assembly’.
It follows a new survey which reveals concerns over racism in schools and lack of communication between parents and their children.
Children’s TV presenters Mwaka “Mwaksy” Mudenda and Richie Driss have been beamed into classrooms to host the assembly - and England boss Gareth Southgate, Hollywood actor Will Poulter and the Vamps star James McVey are among the famous faces who've taken part and shared their stories.
The aim is to welcome students back to school and remind everyone of the need for mutual respect and kindness in schools and communities.
A poll conducted by The Diana Award found:
• Half (50%) of parents said racism is a problem in schools
• Almost a third of young people (32%) have heard someone be racist at school. Despite this 41% of parents have not discussed racism with their child recently
• More than a quarter of parents (28%) believe UK lockdown due to Covid-19 will have a negative impact on the way children behave towards each other when they return to school
• A quarter of young people (24%) say they noticed more bullying around race just before and during lockdown and almost three quarters of parents (74%) believe it is a problem online
• 46% of young people have been bullied at school. Of those bullied, 58% say it made them want to skip school, 37% say it made their schoolwork suffer, 44% say it made them avoid social events or stop seeing friends and 18% avoid social media
• Half (51%) of young people who went to school and have ever been bullied at school have worried about going back to school after a holiday because of bullying and a third (33%) of young people were more worried than usual about returning to school after lockdown
Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.