At Meadowbank we aim to:
- Promote the personal development of all our pupils.
- Encourage active citizenship and the involvement of children in their communities.
- Develop children’s understanding of health and safety issues.
- Develop children’s ability to form positive relationships.
Enabling our older pupils to become a Buddy is one of the ways we encourage our children to be involved in the life of the school.
Friendship Buddies (Peer Mediators) are children in Years 5 and 6 who undertake training, following a nationally recognised scheme. This enables them to learn about peaceful conflict resolution. One of the ways they do this is to use L.E.A.F. When trained, they are on duty at break times and lunchtimes in the playgrounds. Mediators are identified by their yellow waistcoat. Their role is to make our playgrounds pleasant places to be. If children are lonely, have no-one to play with, need to talk or have help with a problem, they can go to a Friendship Buddy. Our children say they like being a Friendship Buddy because:
- I make people laugh
- I sort out problems
- I love helping people
- I can make new friends
- I like being a role model
- You get to help people make friends, therefore, it makes the school better.
We also operate another Buddy system in school. During the summer term, prior to moving up to KS2, Year 2 pupils are assigned a Year 3 playground buddy. The role of this buddy is to get to know and take care of their Year 2 friend for the first few weeks in their new LKS2 playground. The Year 3 pupils meet their buddies during the summer term, take them into the playground and read to them. At the start of the new term in September, the Year 3 children (now Year 4) meet their buddies at playtime and lunchtime. They are on hand to ease them into KS2 and help them in the first few weeks of the new school year.
All children who are new to the school are assigned a class buddy who supports them whilst they settle into school.
Some of the friendships formed last for years.
