Anti-Bullying Week 2025 offers a valuable opportunity for schools to unite in tackling bullying and promoting a culture of kindness and respect. This year's theme, 'Power for Good', empowers children and young people to recognise their own ability to make positive choices, support their peers and speak out against bullying. Whether you're planning whole-school assemblies, classroom activities or peer mentoring initiatives, this guide provides practical ideas and resources to help you make the most of the week and create lasting change in your school community.
Contents
- What is Anti-Bullying Week?
- What is the theme for Anti-Bullying Week 2025?
- What is Odd Socks Day 2025?
- Practical teaching ideas for Anti-Bullying Week 2025
- Further support for Anti-Bullying Week and beyond
What is Anti-Bullying Week?
Anti-Bullying Week is an annual campaign organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It aims to raise awareness about bullying and encourage children, teachers and parents to take meaningful action against it. The week provides a focal point for schools across the country to unite in promoting kindness, respect and inclusion.
Anti-Bullying Week 2025 will take place from Monday, 10 to Friday, 14 November. The week kicks off with Odd Socks Day on Monday, 10 November, marking the start of a week-long celebration of diversity and action against bullying.
What is the theme for Anti-Bullying Week 2025?
The theme for Anti-Bullying Week 2025 is 'Power for Good'. This empowering theme emerged from consultation with teachers and pupils across the country, who wanted a message that would inspire positive action to counter the harm and hurt that bullying causes. Following the tremendous success of the 2024 campaign – which reached over 7.5 million children and young people across more than 80% of schools – this year's theme encourages children and young people to use their power for good to speak out, support others and build a world where kindness wins.
What is Odd Socks Day 2025?
Odd Socks Day 2025 will take place on Monday, 10 November, launching Anti-Bullying Week in style. On this day, adults and children are encouraged to wear odd socks to school to celebrate what makes us all unique. It's a fun, visual way to recognise that we're all different and that our differences should be celebrated rather than used as a reason for bullying. The beauty of Odd Socks Day is its simplicity – no special outfit is required, just odd socks that show we're united against bullying.
Practical teaching ideas for Anti-Bullying Week 2025
Bring the 'Power for Good' theme to life in your classroom and across your school with these teaching ideas. By incorporating these activities into your Anti-Bullying Week 2025 programme, you can help students understand and embrace their power for good. Remember, the messages we reinforce during this week should extend throughout the year, creating lasting change in our school communities. Together, we can empower young people to speak out, support others and build a world where kindness wins.
Ideas for primary schools
- Anti-Bullying Week assembly. Launch the week with an engaging assembly that introduces the Anti-Bullying Week. Use this ready-made Anti-Bullying Week assembly resource to help children understand how they have the power to make positive choices, stand up for others and create a kinder school environment.
- Odd Socks Day activities. Make the most of Odd Socks Day on 10 November by creating a 'Celebration of Uniqueness' display. Children can draw around their feet, decorate them with what makes them special, and create a colourful wall display. Discuss how our differences make our school community stronger.
- Kindness superheroes. Design a 'Power for Good' superhero wall where children create kindness superhero characters with anti-bullying powers like 'listening powers', 'friendship powers' or 'speaking up powers'. Display around the school as reminders. Use this Kindness Superheroes resource to help children create their characters.
- Power for Good pledge chain. Create a paper chain where each link contains a pledge from a child about how they'll use their power for good this week and beyond. Link the chains together across the classroom or corridor to show collective commitment to kindness.
- Upstander scenarios. Use role-play activities to help children understand the difference between being a bystander and an upstander. Create simple scenarios where children practice using their power for good to support others, speak out against unkind behaviour and make positive choices.
Ideas for secondary schools
- Power for Good campaign. Challenge students to create their own anti-bullying campaign materials using the 'Power for Good' theme. They could design posters, social media graphics, short videos or presentations that will be shared across the school. This gives students agency and amplifies their voices.
- Peer mentoring launch. Use Anti-Bullying Week to launch or reinvigorate a peer mentoring scheme. Train selected students to become 'Power for Good' ambassadors who can support younger pupils, listen to concerns and model positive behaviour. This harnesses students' power to create lasting change.
- Discussion and debate sessions. Discussion and debate sessions. Lead discussions on young people's different forms of power – voice, choices, peer influence, and social media presence. Explore using these powers positively to challenge bullying and support others. Use this Power for Good discussion resource to structure sessions.
- Acts of kindness challenge. Acts of kindness challenge. Challenge students to do one kind act daily during Anti-Bullying Week. Set up a display or digital platform for anonymously sharing witnessed or experienced kindness. Use this Acts of Kindness resource to help students plan and reflect on their actions.
- Digital citizenship workshop. Focus on how students can use their power for good online. Explore topics such as positive digital footprints, calling out online bullying, supporting peers who experience cyberbullying and being responsible digital citizens. This acknowledges that much of young people's power and interaction now exists in digital spaces.
Further support for Anti-Bullying Week and beyond
- Anti-Bullying Alliance: Access resources, toolkits and information about Anti-Bullying Week 2025.
- Bullying UK: Find advice, support and resources for teachers and students.
- NSPCC: Discover tools and guidance for preventing bullying and promoting children's wellbeing.
- Kidscape: Access free anti-bullying resources and workshops.
- The Diana Award: Explore their Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme and resources.
- Childline: Find resources to help children understand and cope with bullying.
