FROZEN in fear or paused mid-punch, children in Prudhoe have stepped into the lonely shoes of school bullies and their victims to understand the issue from new perspective.

Highfield Middle School has long been a leading light in tackling bullying.

In 2007 it became the first school in the area to receive Northumberland County Council’s anti-bullying accreditation.

Since then a new group of year eight pupils work to become peer mentors every year, forming a source of advice and support for their fellow students.

And in 2011 the school’s peer mentor team also became anti-bullying ambassadors under the Diana Award scheme.

Every year the school runs an anti-bullying week to ensure the troubling topic is at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

This week, the school’s mascot “Aunty Bully” was given a makeover before she took to the school’s classrooms and corridors.

Children from all year groups took part in a number of tasks and a special assembly during the week, tackling all aspects of bullying and the devastating impact it can have.

And the youngsters were also able to give their own unique insight into how they view bullying.

Taking on the recent craze for “mannequinning”, the children created unique freeze-frame scenes to portray their own image of bullying.