We’re Already Getting Ready for Anti-Bullying Week (And We’ve Got Something New to Share)
Anti-Bullying Week 2026 feels a long way off. But here at OpenView Education, we like to get ahead of it.
We’re already developing new workshops and brand new resources to help schools make the most of the week. And we’re really excited about one of the first things we’ve created.
More on that in a moment. First, let’s talk about the theme.
This year’s theme: Break the Silence
The theme for Anti-Bullying Week 2026 is organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance and was shaped directly by the voices of more than 200 children and young people, many of whom spoke about the silence that can surround bullying and the barriers young people face in asking for help.
It’s a theme that really resonates with us.
Millions of children and young people experience bullying every year. Many never tell anyone. They stay silent when they’re being bullied, when they see it happening, and sometimes when they feel drawn into it themselves. When silence persists, bullying can grow
That’s a hard truth. But it’s also a hopeful one. Because silence can be broken.
Research consistently shows that bystanders play a powerful role in bullying situations. A 2011 study by Hawkins, Pepler and Craig found that when bystanders intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds around 57% of the time. Children have more power to help than they often realise. The challenge is giving them the confidence and the language to use it.
That’s exactly what this year’s theme is calling for.
Introducing our new poster
To support schools in the lead-up to Anti-Bullying Week, we’ve created a free downloadable poster: Break the Silence with Kindness.
It’s bold, visual and child-friendly. It carries three clear, simple messages:
- Tell a trusted adult if you think someone is being bullied
- Show kindness with your words and actions
- Don’t join in with unkind jokes. Think about how your words could make others feel
The spirit behind it mirrors the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s call to pledge to Break the Silence about bullying and help create a kinder, more supportive environment where all children and young people belong.
And it’s free to download and print.
Two ways to use this Anti-Bullying Week Poster in Your School
1. Use it as a discussion starter before Anti-Bullying Week
Don’t wait until November to put it up. Display the poster in your classroom or corridor now and use it to open up a conversation.
Ask your class: “What do you think it means to break the silence?” or “Why might someone find it hard to speak up?”
These kinds of exploratory questions are at the heart of what the Anti-Bullying Alliance calls building a “whole-school approach” to bullying. The earlier you start the conversation, the more embedded those ideas become by the time Anti-Bullying Week arrives.
For KS2 especially, you could use the three messages on the poster as the basis for a circle time session. Let children discuss each one in pairs first, then share with the group. It’s low-prep and genuinely powerful.
2. Use it as an anchor for your Anti-Bullying Week assembly
The three messages on the poster work beautifully as a simple assembly structure.
Take each one in turn. Ask children to raise their hand if they’ve ever found it hard to speak up. Share a short story or scenario. Then bring it back to the message on the poster.
Research from the Anti-Bullying Alliance shows that Anti-Bullying Week reaches an estimated 8 million children and young people and over 80% of schools each year.
That reach matters. But what makes it land is the quality of the conversations that happen inside classrooms and assemblies.
A well-used poster can be the prompt that gets those conversations going.
Download your free Break the Silence Anti-Bullying Week Poster Here.
And if you’d like to find out more about our Anti-Bullying Week workshops and whole-school programmes, we’d love to hear from you. email us at james@openvieweducation.co.uk or call on 0207 459 4473.
Sources:
Hawkins, D.L., Pepler, D.J. & Craig, W.M. (2001). Naturalistic observations of peer interventions in bullying. Social Development, 10(4), 512-527.
Anti-Bullying Alliance (2026). Anti-Bullying Week 2026: Break the Silence. anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk
