The schools we visited: South Green Junior School, Quilters Junior School and Sunnymede Junior School
Being human, it is natural to remember some of the key moments within our individual lives. Some examples include your first date, Christmas as a child and finally being able to ride a bike. But whether you liked it or loathed it, the first day of secondary school was always, and always will be, a fundamental day for the lives of everyone.
The excitement of your first day at secondary school was equally measured with the anxiety and worry of your first day at secondary school. Whilst your mother prepared everything, making sure everything was perfect, and your father messed around with the family camera, you, as the student, never knew what to expect and unquestionably had a variety of emotions surging through your body.
However, we felt as Peer Support that we should help our fellow year 6 students, who are currently on the verge of attending secondary school. Secondary school life is a crucial part of everyone’s life and encompasses the transition from childhood to adulthood. Our main objective as Peer Support is to help other students and for our year 6 students that is exactly what we did.
Recently, some of the members of ‘The Billericay School’ Peer Support Group, consisting of Chloe Wilson (Year 9), Abigail Alderson, Amy Haigh, Tom Murphy, Vikki Brown (Year 10), Lian Wilkinson, Alexander Tyldesley (Year 11) and Mrs Waxman (Peer Support Co-ordinator), visited the three surrounding junior schools within the local area and made presentations for the year 6 students to show the students what Peer Support do and how we can help them amid their penultimate transition from junior school to secondary school.
Whilst visiting the three mentioned junior schools, we took part in a variety of activities with the students and many of them found them reassuring, interesting and sometimes just plain funny.
At each junior school we started by introducing ourselves and discussing what we do, why we exist and who we are. We then asked the students to participate in a couple of ice-breaker activities that were challenging but also interactive, to the students delight. These activities included describing an object to another student without observation and then drawing the object and a knot game, whereby students joined hands randomly and then had to make a straight line without breaking the chain of hands. Above all, we asked the students what skills were required for those activities and many agreed that some of the crucial skills required included communication, listening and working as a team.
After this, we then moved on to talk about good peer supporters as apposed to bad peer supporters. Two members of the Peer Support Group conducted a role play to demonstrate a bad peer supporter, who was unfortunately a bit grumpy and did not want to help the student whatsoever. The task for the students was to prepare and show a role play portraying the skills of a good peer supporter, and although it caused some giggles here and there, the students understood that good peer supporters are people who are caring, listen to other people and are prepared to help you whenever needed.
To conclude the junior school sessions, we then allowed students to talk directly with any of the peer supporters available to ask them questions about anything regarding ‘The Billericay School’, for which we would give open and honest answers from a fellow students perception. Many of the students came up with some interesting questions such as ‘What clubs are available?’ and ‘What are the school meals like?’, but without question, the question on everyone’s minds was ‘Is Mr Macbeth the strictest teacher around?’, well that is one question were I can safely say the answer is no, not in the slightest.
Most importantly, the students enjoyed our visits and felt more reassured and happy about coming to secondary school and at the end of the day if we can make our students feel safe and happy, then we know our service is making a difference for the better.
For those of you who are unaware, Peer Support is a service within ‘The Billericay School’ which offers help and support to our fellow students. It is a group of 32 students from years 9–13 who are available to offer advice and help with any problems or concerns our students may have, whether it be issues such as homework, friendship, bullying or stress.
We provide this service simply because we want our fellow students to feel comfortable and happy in an environment where they can all achieve, learn and prosper in life.
In addition, students can contact us in a number of ways, including our email account (peersupport@billericay.essex.sch.uk), our Peer Support drop in box, where a student can write down their name, the specific peer supporter they want to see, their problem and where and when they would like to meet and of course our students can meet us in our designated room in A Block, where students can come along every registration, break time or lunchtime to come and talk to any of the peer supporters in the room. And we can assure everyone that we treat everyone fairly and respectfully and keep all information confidential unless we feel it be necessary to talk to a member of staff.
Many students feel worried and scared when talking to teachers, so by talking to fellow students we strongly believe that the students will feel more at ease and more comfortable when discussing their problems.
We believe that every child within our school is unique and has individual qualities, but we also feel that a problem is better off out than in. And although every case we encounter may not be resolved immediately we always strive to offer the most effective solutions for our students, so they can feel a part of this thriving school and make the most of their secondary school experience with happiness and enjoyment.
Finally, we always want to provide the best service possible to our students and welcome any feedback on how we can improve and make our service more effective within the school community. In addition, we would like to reassure you that secondary schools such as Mayflower High School have also adopted a Peer Support Group within their school, so if you are the parent of a child who is going to Mayflower High School then there is no need to worry as help will still be at arms reach.
Also, we are recruiting new members into the Peer Support Group for the new term in September, so if you are a fellow student in years 9 –13 and wants to be a part of a service where you will help people and take on new challenges then please either collect an application form from student services or see Mrs Waxman (Peer Support Co-ordinator ) in the Music or P.E departments.
Thank you and if you would like to contact us at all then please use the contact details previously shown or contact the school at Telephone: 01277 655191 and ask for Mrs Waxman (Peer Support Co-ordinator).
‘The Billericay School’ Peer Support Group: Here to Help
By Alexander Tyldesley
