Anti-Bullying Week 2026 UK: 16 to 20 November, Break the Silence and Odd Socks Day

Anti-Bullying Week 2026 runs Monday 16 to Friday 20 November in the UK, with the theme Break the Silence, according to the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) launch as reported by Wandsworth Council’s schools service on 18 May 2026. Odd Socks Day is listed for the first day, Monday 16 November, and GOV.UK shows no bank holiday that week.

Anti-Bullying Week 2026 dates at a glance

The ABA’s own pages returned an access error when checked, so the dates below come from the council page, Coram, Anti-Bullying NI and GOV.UK. The last column counts the days from Sunday 8 November and updates to today’s date in the browser.

Date	Day	What happens	Days from Nov. 8
Nov. 16	Monday	Anti-Bullying Week begins	8
Nov. 16	Monday	Odd Socks Day (listed by Anti-Bullying NI, provisional)	8
Nov. 19	Thursday	Coram Break the Silence webinar, 4 to 5.30pm	11
Nov. 20	Friday	Anti-Bullying Week ends	12
Nov. 30	Monday	St Andrew’s Day bank holiday, Scotland only	22

What does the Break the Silence theme ask of people?

The Wandsworth page quotes the ABA launch: “The Anti-Bullying Alliance today launches the theme for Anti-Bullying Week 2026 (16-20 November).” It adds that Break the Silence encourages everyone to speak up and speak out against bullying in all its forms. The council page is a relay of the launch, not the ABA’s own release.

Coram, a children’s charity, lists a Break the Silence webinar for Anti-Bullying Week 2026 on its events page: Thursday 19 November 2026, 4 to 5.30pm.

When is Odd Socks Day 2026 and do pupils have to join in?

Anti-Bullying NI says Odd Socks Day 2026 is Monday 16 November, the first day of Anti-Bullying Week. Its page also says ordinary mismatched socks are enough, and that pupils should not be singled out if they forget or choose not to take part.

That page is a campaign and school-resource page, not the ABA’s, so the date stays provisional until the ABA’s own page can be read. A suggested donation for the day is not confirmed: the Anti-Bullying NI page mentions none, and the ABA page that might state one could not be opened.

Is there a bank holiday during Anti-Bullying Week?

No. The GOV.UK bank holiday list, last updated 24 November 2025, shows no bank holiday in England, Wales or Northern Ireland in November 2026. The only one that month is St Andrew’s Day on Monday 30 November, for Scotland. No source says schools close during the week, so closures are set by each school. The term dates for the rest of the year are in the UK school term dates 2026-27 story, and the break-up dates by council are in the UK school Christmas holidays 2026 story. The November 2026 printable calendar has room to mark the week.

Printable Anti-Bullying Week 2026 fact sheet

The one-page sheet holds the 16 to 20 November dates, the Break the Silence theme, the Coram webinar time and a list of what is not confirmed, a short checklist, and space to write how a class or family will take part. World Kindness Day falls three days earlier, on Friday 13 November; see the World Kindness Day 2026 story.

Anti-Bullying Week 2026 details still to come

• The ABA’s own dates, theme wording and Odd Socks Day date: its pages returned an access error.
• Any suggested donation for Odd Socks Day.
• Whether the ABA’s school resources are free, and how many packs there are.
• Last year’s theme and participation figures: no readable source was available, so they are left out.