Wallands Community Primary Buddy and Peer Mentor System
Our school continually works on making playtimes an enjoyable experience for all pupils. As part of this work we continue to develop our ‘Playground Buddy and Peer Mentor’ scheme where some of our pupils can help others to be more tolerant and supportive of each other.
Buddies are volunteers from Year 2 and Year 4 who complete their training and are provided with regular supervision to ensure their emotional wellbeing is safeguarded. Our Buddies support our KS1 children and form an important part of our listening systems in school. Our children are encouraged to think about ‘how others feel‘, which is an important element in supporting others. The training extends these empathy skills and develops active listening skills.
Peer Mentors are volunteers from Year 6 who support children in lower KS2. While their training also includes the development of empathy skills, it also includes active listening skills. They are on duty at lunchtime to provide a supportive listening system for our younger children. They also have regular supervision to address any issues that arise.
Both these groups are a valued part of our Anti-Bullying strategy. We hope that the Buddies and Peer Mentors find it a rewarding experience with all the pupils feeling an increased sense of security, thus contributing towards enhancing the emotional ethos of our school and upholding every child’s right to play and be safe.
Green Team
Children from Year 2-Year 6 are given the opportunity to take part in our Green Team. This group has weekly meetings and undertake a wide variety of projects. This year they are involved in:
- Promoting the School Eco Code
- Recycling pens and used glue sticks
- Recycling Crisp Packets
- Green United agendas
- The Development of a Rain Garden in KS2 playground – an extensive project involving the re-design of whole area and replanting of shrubs as part of TAP
- The redevelopment of the chicken area and formation of a peace garden to commemorate the experiences of the past 2 years – this is in collaboration with Plumpton College.
