--- title: "In honour of Anti-Bullying Week, second year, Melissa, talks about leaving the bullies behind at her old school for a new lease of life at the College" url: "https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/blog/2016-11-17-15-11-30-in-honour-of-anti-bullying-week-second-year-melissa-talks-about-leaving-the-bull" school: "Birkenhead Sixth Form College" --- [![Birkenhead Sixth Form College](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/logo/BSFC_FC_RGB(1).png)](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/) - [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/birkenheadsixthformcollege) - [X](http://www.twitter.com/BSFC) - [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs0mV-sqmiu8V_19dpFY3Zw) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/bsfc_/) - [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@bsfc_college) [Apply Now](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/application-form) ![OFSTED](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/theme/birkenhead/img/ofsted_new.png) # In honour of Anti-Bullying Week, second year, Melissa, talks about leaving the bullies behind at her old school for a new lease of life at the College 17 November 2016 ![Image of In honour of Anti-Bullying Week, second year, Melissa, talks about leaving the bullies behind at her old school for a new lease of life at the College](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/blog/ad_awareness_2_498x280.jpg) When I was in high school, bullying was pretty rife, particularly among my year group - which was arguably made worse because I went to a single sex high school. My friends and I were all bullied in high school, and while at first you can disregard nasty comments or being tripped up as one-offs or accidents, after a year or two (or in my case, five …) it can really start to have an impact on how you think of yourself and the person that you are, particularly if you are as isolated as I was. Aside from the College’s excellent academic reputation, the fresh start I’d get from moving somewhere new was another reason I decided I wanted to study away from my high school sixth form. At high school, I had to continue to be the person that everyone had pre-conceived notions about: someone who they could just treat however they wanted because everyone *else* did, whereas here I could introduce myself as the person I *actually* was. It helped that I had a friend who was already studying at BSFC, who reassured me about how willing to help and quick to sort out any problems all the staff were - and after visiting the College and taking in the welcoming, friendly atmosphere for myself, I knew that I could believe her! Since my very first day at College, I can honestly say that nobody has ever been deliberately unkind or unfriendly; everyone I’ve spoken to, even people from my high school, were polite and chatty just like I was, having been able to re-invent themselves in a new environment too. Often, you’ll find that bullies want a fresh start just as much as everyone else does, because they’re not actually happy either. Maybe that makes the College unique, in the way that everyone is new, everyone’s in the same boat and it’s a chance to leave any issues like that in the past where they belong. Bullying is not something that is local to any one place. It’s a global problem that can happen to anyone, anywhere, although the most common place for bullying to occur is in schools. Whilst for my parents’ generation, bullying at school was confined to the school itself (specifically and most frequently in the school playground), we’re now constantly accessible via social media and mobile phones. This can make bullying much harder to escape from for younger generations. There are new measures around to try to prevent cyberbullying these days, and promotions like the Anti-Bullying Week are more important now than ever to give a voice to people who haven’t had the chance to escape bullying like I have. ### Melissa *Category: **[The Student Voice](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/blog/category/the-student-voice)*** - [ previous](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/blog/2016-11-16-14-54-44-video-psychology-s-creepy-crawly-day) - [next ](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/blog/2016-11-21-14-21-06-health-social-care-s-health-promotion-projects) --- ### Leave a Reply ### [Latest News](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/news) [![Image of Halloween Fest brings spooky fun to College](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/imagecache/750x480c/news/Halloween_Fest_26_-_Photo_Montage.jpg)](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/news/2026-10-26-halloween-fest-brings-spooky-fun-to-college) 26 October 2026 #### [Halloween Fest brings spooky fun to College](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/news/2026-10-26-halloween-fest-brings-spooky-fun-to-college) ### [Upcoming Events](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/events) [![Image of Open Evening](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/imagecache/750x480c/events/Edited_Top_3.jpg)](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/events/2026-11-26-open-evening) 26 November 2026 #### [Open Evening](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/events/2026-11-26-open-evening) ### [Blog](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/blog) [![Image of Students Secure 3rd Place in Merseyside Police Cyber Challenger 2025](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/imagecache/750x480c/blog/IMG_0394.jpg)](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/blog/2025-03-06-10-26-00-students-secure-3rd-place-in-merseyside-police-cyber-challenger-2025) 6 March 2025 #### [Students Secure 3rd Place in Merseyside Police Cyber Challenger 2025](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/blog/2025-03-06-10-26-00-students-secure-3rd-place-in-merseyside-police-cyber-challenger-2025) [Tweets by BSFC](https://twitter.com/BSFC) ![Top 3](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/Top_3_Footer.jpg) ![Educate Awards - Most Inspirational Sixth Form](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/Most_Inspirational_Winner_-_Banner_Rounded_Corners(1).jpg) ![Educate North College of the Year 2023](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/College_of_the_Year_Badge_-_Banner.jpg) [![Ofsted](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/Ofsted_Outstanding_OP_Colour.png)](https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50248883) [![TES Shortlist](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/For_Website_Partner.jpg)](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/news/2018-02-26-college-wins-national-sixth-form-college-of-the-year-award) [![Quality in Careers](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/Quality_in_Careers_Standard_-_JPEG.jpg)](https://www.qualityincareers.org.uk/) ![CE Certified](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/new_ce_badge.png) [![Sixth Form Colleges Association](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/SFCA.jpg)](http://www.sixthformcolleges.org/) ![AoC](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/Without_Border.jpg) [![Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/DofE-logo-gunmetal-full-RGB_(504x800)_(403x640).jpg)](http://www.dofe.org/) ![Birkenhead Sixth Form College](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/logo/logo-white(2).png) © Copyright 2011–2026 Birkenhead Sixth Form College All rights reserved. **Birkenhead Sixth Form College** Park Road West, Claughton Wirral, Merseyside, CH43 8SQ Tel: 0151 652 5575 Email: School & Trust Websites by [ ![Schudio logo](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/img/logo/light.png) ](https://www.schudio.com/)