PUPILS took a stand against bullying in a series of lessons designed to encourage tolerance and taking responsibility for their actions.

The activities at specialist school LVS Hassocks took place during Anti-Bullying Week on November 13.

Students at the school for young people on the autism spectrum were keen to take up the challenge and think about how bullying can affect people’s lives.

Anti-bullying activities took place across the curriculum from cooking to art to ICT, helping students to recognise the importance of finding strategies to combat bullying, identify different types of bullying and think about new approaches to prevention.

Drama sessions helped students to project themselves and develop confidence.

They learned how to sit confidently, meet others, shake hands and demonstrate the personality traits that they most admire in others.

In art lessons pupils designed and created their own T-shirts to proudly wear in support of anti-bullying week.

In PSHE (personal, social and health education) sessions revolved around understanding social anxiety and helping students to learn symptoms of, and strategies for relieving, their own anxieties.

Team building sessions, including building structures together, allowed students to explore the themes that can help to minimise the chances of bullying, such as communicating effectively, listening, taking turns and respecting others.

Even cookery lessons in the school’s designated food technology suite embraced the theme of anti-bullying, with students baking and decorating their own “odd socks” biscuits, part of the nationwide campaign of odd socks day to celebrate difference and what makes everyone unique.

In ICT students used design programmes on their computers to create anti-bullying posters.

Even cookery lessons embraced the theme, with students baking and decorating their own “odd socks” biscuits, part of the nationwide campaign to celebrate difference and what makes everyone unique.

Teacher Ewan Briggs said: “LVS Hassocks committing to a whole day focusing on anti-bullying enabled students to consider anti-bullying strategies through a range of mediums and workshops.

“They were able to appreciate that through making small changes they can influence their own environment.

“Students concluded that it is vital to work together to help combat bullying, and that was a key part of our activities on the day.”

LVS Hassocks is an independent school for young people aged 11 to 19 with a diagnosis of autism, usually high functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome.

It states that it aims for “all of our pupils to become healthy, empowered and included adults who participate in and contribute towards society”.

A spokesman for the school said: “LVS Hassocks enables all young people to become successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve.

“We want to ensure all of our pupils are creative, can communicate well and be able to learn both independently and with others.”

He also said they wanted pupils to become “confident individuals”.