Knowing Me, Knowing You
An inspirational project that combats bullying by promoting respect and
understanding, whilst encouraging young people to
celebrate the differences between us
Pupil, William Davis Primary School, London Borough of Newham
Bullying cannot only destroy a child’s happiness, but also seriously damages their capacity for learning and enjoying school. Knowing Me, Knowing You tackles the issue of bullying with the ultimate aim of reducing incidences of bullying within school. This 35-minute performance is specifically designed for pupils who are soon to make the transition from primary to secondary school and has been performed to over 15,000 young people nationwide.
From an empathetic stance, Knowing Me, Knowing You uses drama and song to explore the dilemmas faced by a child who does not fit in with the crowd and is excluded for being different.
The show examines how victims of bullying may feel and the reasons why people might bully. The project also explores the vital importance of support in these situations, encouraging children that are being bullied to speak to someone and illustrating how the strength of the group can overcome the power of the bully.
The underlying message is acceptance, teaching young people that our differences aren’t a reason to bully, but an opportunity to learn more and create new friendships.
very educational. Thank you for an excellent performance which the children and adults
thoroughly enjoyed. Look forward to seeing you again.”
Tony Lewis, Head Teacher, Dunningford Primary School,
London Borough of Havering
THE NEED
ChildLine receive more calls about bullying than any other issue and 74% of those who call about bullying say that they were bullied in school. The likelihood is that every young person is affected by the problem in some way or another. ChildLine’s report ‘Tackling Bullying’ found that over 51% of Year 5 pupils reported that they have been bullied during term time.
Knowing Me, Knowing You provides a platform for children to express their own feelings and experiences around bullying. Teachers often feed back that it gives young people characters to identify and empathise with, and about whom they can talk openly.
Through the extensive media coverage on the subject of bullying and through our close relationships with schools, we have recognised the vital benefits that a project like this has for young people during these exciting but challenging transitional years.
THE SHOW
In true Chain Reaction style, drama, song and parody are used to explore the dilemma faced by a young girl called Nicky who finds herself being picked on by school bully Sarah Spiteful and her sheep-like gang. The rise and inevitable fall of Ms. Spiteful teaches us that life’s winners are those who accept people for who they are, and that the bully never comes out on top.
With a supporting cast including Eminem and Bart Simpson and some bang-up-to-date songs, we look at the reasons why children feel the need to bully and the consequences, both for the victim and the bully themselves. Our young audience realise that we must accept other people for who they are, if we are to progress in life and create and maintain friendships.
Knowing Me, Knowing You champions the need to accept each other and embrace our differences, be they related to race, colour, religion, size or sexuality. The message is driven home in an upbeat musical finale, proudly stating that we’re “different but we’re equal in the end”.
no matter what we like, how we dress or what we believe in or anything else.”
Pupil, Beam Primary School, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU TEACHES CHILDREN…
- how it feels to be bullied and the effect bullying has on other people’s lives
- about the various types of bullying
- some of the reasons why people might bully and how a bully might feel
- the importance of telling someone if they are being bullied
- how to support other people that are being bullied
- that there are many people they can talk to about bullying (i.e. parents, teachers, siblings, friends, confidential advice lines such as ChildLine)
- the need to accept everyone for who they are if we are to progress in life
- that they have the power to make the world a happier place
but if you bully with speech it can have an effect forever.”
Pupil, St Joseph’s RC Junior School, London Borough of Waltham Forest
AT A GLANCE…
| Show length: | 35 mins (45 mins without hot-seating session) |
| Included extras: | Teachers’ resource pack 10 minute hot-seating session |
| Optional extras: | 1 hour workshop |
| For ages: | 9 – 11 |
| School year groups: | 5 – 6 |
| Level: | Junior |
| Curriculum links and current themes: |
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Mrs V. de Cruz, Teacher, William Bellamy Junior School,
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
See the “What’s On” box (left) to find out if this project is touring soon.
To receive a past evaluation report or to find out more get in touch.
