Schools rewarded for tackling bullying and hate crime

SCHOOLCHILDREN from Warrington who made impressive efforts towards tackling bullying and hate crime are to be recognised at a special ceremony.
A total of 17 schools will receive awards at a “Wise Up” ceremony at The Gateway, Sankey Street, on Wednesday, February 15.
All the schools involved have demonstrated the importance of creating a safe environment where children can be free from bullying or hate crime.
The students have communicated the need to be aware of those who may feel vulnerable or targeted because of a disability, or because they come from a minority ethnic background or because of their sexual orientation or religious beliefs.
Examples of good practice include:
*Newchurch Primary School, Culcheth –  who link the themes across the whole curriculum, taking every opportunity to reinforce positive messages around anti-racism or tackling gender stereotyping.
*Bridgewater High School, Appleton  – who held a Hate Crime conference and invited local primary schools to attend.
Bronze, Silver and Gold awards will be presented to schools by David Keane, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire
Gold awards will be given to 12 schools which have demonstrated outstanding practice.
Cllr Jean Carter (pictured) , Warrington Borough Council’s lead member for children and young people’s services, said: “Hate crime and bullying can have a very damaging impact on children, families and communities, so it’s really heartening to see so many schools taking part in this initiative. It’s a fantastic scheme and there are some really impressive projects being undertaken in Warrington schools which we want to celebrate
“All schools in Warrington have robust policies in place to tackle hate crime and bullying and it is vital that tackling these issues continues to be a high priority to protect our children.”
The Wise Up initiative is led by the Warrington Hate Crime and Incident Partnership Board, supported by the borough council and Cheshire Police. The scheme was launched in 2014 to promote awareness of hate crime in schools and to reward actions to combat bullying and hate crime.
Schools nominated for awards are: St Gregory’s RC High School,   Chapelford Village Primary, Newchurch Primary, Bridgewater High,   Great Sankey High, Sir Thomas Boteler CE High, St Bridget’s RC Primary,   New Horizons School, Broomfields Junior, Locking Stumps Primary, St Paul of the Cross RC Primary, St Stephen’s RC Primary, Grappenhall Heys Primary, Thelwall Junior, Birchwood High, Christ Church CE Primary, St Lewis RC Primary, Ravenbank Primary, Future Tech Studio School and Croft Primary.