Circle Time
Buddies and Mentors
Bullying
Circle Time - Discussing problems openly
What the children say
‘Circle time is good for saying kind things’
‘Circle time is class thinking time.’
‘Circle time helps you find out what people want to be like.’
What is circle time? Many primary schools use circle time to help enhance emotional well-being and to encourage self-awareness, empathy and positive communication. Secondary schools are now beginning to see the value of circle time and it is being used successfully with pupils in Year 7 to help them come to terms with the move from primary to secondary school. It is an excellent forum in which children can discuss issues relating to PSHE including friendship, bullying and stress.
The circle format. Everybody including teachers and assistants sits on chairs in a circle. Each session takes approximately 45 minutes and consists of seven sections:
- Ground rules which are established at the beginning of the session and strictly adhered to.
- Game - these vary according to the aim of the session but generally involve co-operation and the use of verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
- Round in which each person in turn completes a sentence or make a statement
- Silent statement where children stand up and cross the circle if they agree with a statement - they literally ‘vote with their feet’.
- Open forum where the group uses scenarios to examine real-life situations
- game.
- Closing round to reinforce the preceding activities and encourage children to reflect on what they have learned.
For in-depth guidance on using circle time to tackle issues relating to transition, and for further activities, read Bridging the Circle: transition through Circle Time by Anne Cowling and Penny Vine, published by Positive Press Ltd.
The system for delivering circle time is very structured and teachers must be properly trained before they deliver this activity to pupils. The following notes are for guidance only. If you want to find out more about circle time or investigate training opportunities, contact Karen Oliver: oliverkm@leedslearning.net
1 What are the strengths of Circle Time?
Circle time:
- fulfils the knowledge, skills and understanding of the new curriculum 2000 framework for Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education at all key stages,
- is a structured, preventative listening system,
- teaches valuable personal and social skills,
- supports Speaking and Listening in the National Curriculum.
2 The key benefits of circle time
Circle Time helps children to have a sense of belonging to a group
- motivates a willingness to share thoughts and feelings,
- initiates collective responsibility for the promotion of self-esteem and positive behaviour,
- establishes a forum where children can help one another.
3 Ground rules for learning mentors/teachers
Circle time depends on you noticing and praising the various skills of thinking, looking, listening and speaking in order to reinforce them. During Circle Time you should:
- avoid saying anything negative. If you wish to change a child's behaviour, try to praise another child in the circle for sharing the desired behaviour,
- accept all contributions,
- give thanks when possible,
- value all opinions,
- don¹t automatically think that you have the best answers!
4 The skills you need for Circle Time
For Circle Time to succeed, learning mentors/teachers need the ability to:
- listen well,
- talk about your own thoughts and feelings,
- use good eye contact and show emotional warmth and empathy,
- recap what children have said,
- notice and thank children for using the skills that they should focus on during the Circle Time.
5 The Golden Rules
Learning mentors/teachers and children need to agree:
- not to interrupt when someone else is talking,
- that a child has the right to say 'Pass',
- not to talk about anybody unkindly.
Children should also understand that if they want to tell you something serious, they should use private one-to-one time.
6 Setting up Circle Time
- Prepare the area before the children arrive.
- Form a circle of chairs for all participants including teachers and helpers.
- Prepare a table with the 'talking object' and any other resources you may need.
- Choose a theme linked to the Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship.
Education framework. All activities should be linked to this theme
7 Introductory phase of Circle Time
Start with:
- Starting rituals.
- A game.
- A round linked to a theme.
- Silent statements.
8 Middle phase (KS2) problem-solving
- One child requests help with a particular problem that he/she is experiencing.
- He/she frames a request: 'I need help because..'
- The children respond: 'Would it help if...?' or 'Would it help if you...?' or 'Would it help if we...?'
- Plan and review.
9 Closing phase
- A game linked to the theme.
- Reflection of achievements and success within the group.
- Ending ritual.
If you want to read more about Circle Time, try the following resources:
Moseley, J. (1996) Quality Circle Time, Cambridge LDA
Moseley, J. (2000) Quality Circle Time in the Secondary School, David Fulton Publishers
Buddies and Mentors - Pupils helping pupils
What the children say
'It would help if the school had a buddy system like ours.
'I'd like to meet other pupils who are kind and helpful and would look after new pupils.'
Buddy systems and peer mentoring schemes are being introduced to more and more high schools.
In one school, pupils from Years 10 and 11 are available at lunchtime to answer specific questions and to help with problems or homework. The school also has The Listening Corner (TLC). Older pupils who are involved in the scheme wear TLC badges and Year 7s know they can approach them to discuss any issues they may be concerned about.
What the children say
‘What happens if you get bullied, who can you go to for help?’
‘I will be starting at the bottom again like reception here.’
Many children believe that they will be bullied when they arrive at their high school. Whether this is the result of their experiences at primary school or a product of myth and rumour that surrounds the concept of ‘big school’ is not clear. Nevertheless it must be accepted that some children will be bullied and some children will bully.
As this issue has become more widely publicised, charities, schools, education authorities and other interested groups have worked hard to produce guidance on tackling the problem. There is a wealth of material in many different forms including books, teaching sessions, videos, and etc. offering expert advice to teachers, pupils and parents. If this is a subject about which you are concerned, we strongly recommend that you look at some of this material.
- KIDSCAPE Children’s Charity produces a variety of publications for children, parents and schools on bullying. It also runs teacher-training workshops and safety prevention programmes for schools and has a help line for the parents of bullied children. Telephone 0207 730 3300 www.kidscape.org.uk
- The Leeds Racial Harassment Project produces guidelines, videos, pupil activities and resources. Telephone 0113 293 5100
What should your school do?
It is important that everyone associated with the school (including parents) is aware of the school’s policy towards bullying. This needs to be overtly stated in literature, on walls and during lesson time.
One school has addressed the issue of bullying in its welcome booklet. In this case, the booklet is written by high school pupils.
‘We treat bullying very seriously indeed. It is one of the worst things that can happen at school and we believe that all of the students have the right to enjoy school and be able to attend school without fear for their own safety or peace of mind. You will learn more about bullying in PHSE but here are some points to remember:
- You should never put up with any form of bullying.
- Always tell a teacher if you are being bullied.
- The problem is most likely to get worse if you don’t tell a teacher.
- Never stay off school because of bullying.
- Never support a bully by not telling a teacher.
- If you know someone else who is being bullied, tell a teacher.
Remember - bullying only exists because people are afraid to tell!’
Other ways of addressing the issue include:
- Focusing on bullying, why it happens and how it can be handled in PHSE classes and Circle Time.
- Distributing literature to pupils which will help them to cope with the problem (Kidscape: You Can Beat Bullying, Beyond Bullying, etc.)
- Constantly updating teachers, learning mentors and transition assistants on ways in which they can tackle the problem.
- Writing to parents before the start of the school year and stating the school policy on bullying.
For a bullying policy checklist (word document) click here.
One school has had some experience of ‘reverse bullying’. Because bullying is not tolerated and older children are aware of this, new arrivals at the school sometimes try to get away with it because they know the older children will not bully them back! Watch out for this.
A number of schools reported that reports of, and incidents relating to, bullying seemed to increase during long terms. The causes were difficult to identify, but teachers need to be aware of this phenomenon. As the term progresses and staff as well as pupils get tired, it is sometimes hard to remain vigilant all the time.
