Students and staff at Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy sported odd socks as part of a nationwide campaign to raise awareness around bullying.
The ‘Odd Socks Day’ marked the beginning of Anti-Bullying Week and a key aim of the campaign was to help empower children and young people to celebrate what makes them, and others, unique.
With the message ‘All Different, All Equal’, the week also aimed to help youngsters understand how important it is that they feel valued and able to be themselves without fear of bullying.
Joan McCarthy, head teacher at Saint John Houghton CVA, said that Odd Socks Day was a simple initiative that celebrated the message ‘All Different, All Equal.’
She said: “We fully supported Anti-Bullying Week and Odd Socks Day was a great way to start it off. We want our students to know that they are valued for being who they are and that it’s ok to be different, we are not all the same. We would like to thank all of our students and staff who took part in the day.”
The school has its own ‘Oasis Team’ which is made up of about 40 students who act as mentors to the younger students.
Olivia Henry, 14, is a member of the Oasis Team.
She said: “If the younger children in school are struggling or they need to talk to someone then they can come to us. Some children might really want to talk but feel like they can’t approach a teacher so in that case they can see a member of the Oasis Team.
“We have all been trained to deal with this and if it’s something we can handle then we will but if we think it’s more serious then we would always involve a teacher. I think it’s good for the younger pupils to have this opportunity, especially the Year 7 students who might feel a bit daunted by moving up to secondary school.”
