In support of this year’s Anti-Bullying Week, new homes builder, Miller Homes West Midlands has donated a buddy bench to a secondary school in Telford to help encourage friendship and support young people.

Located a short distance from the school, the housebuilder is preparing to launch its new Shropshire development Earl’s Grange in Priorslee, Telford, online in November. It has donated the bench to students at The Telford Priory School in an effort to reduce feelings of isolation which students may be feeling following the pandemic; a national problem which Miller Homes are keen to support..

Recent research from NSPCC Learning has revealed that 1.9million UK children who returned to school after the latest lockdown were concerned about forming friendships again.

This year’s Anti-bullying Week, took place between 15 – 19 November and aimed to start conversations about bullying, while highlighting ways of tackling and managing bullying in the school environment.

The secondary school, which caters to pupils from year seven to 11, has positioned the new buddy bench in the quad  for students to use.  

Commenting on the donation, operations director at Miller Homes West Midlands, Martyn Grimes, said:

“Many children find it challenging to talk about the struggles they are experiencing, which can negatively impact their mental health and wellbeing. Anti-Bullying Week is a fantastic initiative that raises awareness of the issues children can come up against at school, helping teachers and pupils combat bullying by encouraging kindness. With millions of children experiencing feelings of isolation and loneliness as a result of the pandemic and months of homeschooling, acts of kindness are more important than ever. 

“At Miller Homes, we strive to help build supportive local communities, and we hope the new buddy bench will encourage Telford Priory students to come together to ensure no student ever has to feel lonely.” 

Stacey Jordan, headteacher at The Telford Priory School, added:

“It’s crucial for schools to create a safe, supportive and caring environment, so that pupils feel able to talk about their feelings and the difficulties they are facing, especially during such uncertain times. Bullying can affect people of all ages in all settings, so it’s essential to continue the conversations surrounding Anti-Bullying. At The Telford Priory School we prioritise teaching our children the skills and confidence to build close-knit relationships and the compassion to treat all with kindness.   

“Bullying is an issue that any school should manage with great care and is something we take very seriously which is why Anti-Bullying Week is particularly important to us. I’d like to thank the team at Miller Homes for our new buddy bench. We are confident it will offer a safe place for pupils to support one another and form strong friendships.”

Information about this year’s anti-bullying week can be found here.

For more information about the Earl’s Grange development, visit https://www.millerhomes.co.uk/new-homes/west-midlands/earls-grange-priorslee.aspx.