One of the key issues facing many students about to start secondary is in relation to bullying. According to research done by Smyth, McCoy and Darmody, there is a genuine fear amongst first years around bullying. Boys seem to worry about it more than girls. Our school runs a programme every year as part of an ongoing endeavour to help first years settle in- It's called THE COOL SCHOOL PROGRAMME.
It focuses on what is bullying, how to tell, who to tell and other important areas like that. We find it makes a huge difference to our first years in helping them cement friendships and being more aware of how to handle bullying for themselves or a friend. It's an essential component in helping them settle in.
WHAT'S YOUR EXPERIENCE OF THIS AND DO YOU KNOW OF ANY OTHER INITIATIVES TAKEN BY SCHOOLS TO ENSURE FIRST YEARS SETTLE IN WELL?