Past research has demonstrated the negative impact of perceived ethnic discrimination (PED) on psychological well‐being among children. Given research demonstrating the benefits of cross‐ethnic friendship for children's intergroup attitudes, we examined whether cross‐ethnic friendships would attenuate the effects of PED on well‐being and resilience within a multi‐ethnic context. Two hundred and forty‐seven South Asian British children (M = 11 years) recruited from 37 classrooms completed measures of perceived cross‐ethnic friendship quantity and quality, PED, psychological well‐being, and resilience. Friendship quality, but not quantity, had direct positive associations with psychological well‐being and resilience. A higher quantity of cross‐ethnic friendships moderated the negative effects of PED on both outcomes. Results suggest that cross‐ethnic friendships are beneficial for South Asian British children by functioning as a protective factor from the negative effects of discrimination within a multi‐ethnic context.

Condition Low acquaintance, Origin -self Receiver -friend Receiver -evaluatee Low acquaintance, Origin -other Receiver -friend Receiver -evaluatee High acquaintance, Origin -self Receiver -friend Receiver -evaluatee High acquaintance, Origin -other Receiver -friend Receiver -evaluatee

An earlier study reported the use of Quality Circles (QC) in a UK school in the context of understanding and reducing bullying and cyberbullying. Here, we report further work in the same school setting. The QC approach allows explorative analysis of problems in school settings, whereby students embark on a problem-solving exercise over a period of time. The process involves identifying key issues and prioritizing concerns, analysing problems and generating solutions, through participation in a series of workshops. The purpose of this research was to explore further the use of QCs as an effective means of gathering information on bullying and cyberbullying in school, and how these might have changed over one academic year; as well as to examine the use of QCs in empowering pupils and in producing pupil-led solutions. This study validated the use of QCs as an engaging process for pupils (N ¼ 30) which encourages a range of suggested solutions to problems. The information gained from the QCs supported a transitory notion of bullying behaviour, whereby forms of bullying and cyberbullying continue to alter over time, thus prevention programmes must adapt to the changeable nature of this behaviour to remain effective.Social researchers and education practitioners are struggling to keep up with the changing nature of bullying, and especially aspects of cyberbullying. Advances in technology are causing methods of cyberbullying to evolve at a considerable rate as young people utilize media communication tools to adopt new forms of cyberbullying behaviour. This ultimately impacts on the ability of school personnel to

C yberbullying has become a significant area of concern, yet research is still at an early stage. The Quality Circle approach allows explorative analysis of cyberbullying in school settings by identifying issues for further consideration. In this study of cyberbullying in one UK secondary school, Quality Circle participants were required to establish a small anti-bullying taskforce, and then with the guidance of a facilitator, embark on a problem-solving exercise over a period of time. The process involves identifying key issues and prioritising concerns, analysing problems and generating solutions, through participation in a series of themed workshops. Six Quality Circle groups were formed, and the work produced during practical activities was documented and discussions recorded as evidence of emerging themes. The areas of interest regarding cyberbullying were the differing perceptions reported by each representative group, and collectively the range of problems and solutions identified. ■

This study examined current cross-ethnic friendship patterns in secondary schools around London, UK, and the effects of ethnic group and ethnic diversity on cross-ethnic friendship selection and quality. Questionnaires including self-report ethnic group definitions and measures of same-/cross-ethnic friendship numbers, along with the quality of 3 best crossethnic friends, were distributed to 684 Year 7 (aged 11) British students (256 White European, 63 Middle Easterner, 118 Black, 247 South Asian) recruited from 9 multi-ethnic secondary schools (37 classrooms) in Greater London. In contrast to most previous research which suggested the relative rarity of cross-ethnic friendships, findings showed that crossethnic friendships were in fact frequent and of high quality, outnumbering same-ethnic friendships for all ethnic groups.After controlling for gender, classroom gender composition, percentage of available same-ethnic peers, ethnic identity and perceived discrimination, classroom ethnic diversity still had a marginally positive effect on cross-ethnic friendship selection, but had no effect on cross-ethnic friendship quality. White British children reported higher cross-ethnic friendship selection and lower cross-ethnic friendship quality compared to other ethnic groups, but this depended on classroom ethnic diversity. Implications of the findings are discussed in the light of intergroup contact and friendship theories. We conclude that research on cross-ethnic friendships is crucial in providing insights into how integration at the social level starts during early childhood in modern multi-ethnic settings like London secondary schools.