6 minute read
Expert advice
Positive senior pupil behaviour is perhaps the most important role model framework a school can o er
ASK THE EXPERTS
How can schools inspire young people with positive role models?
e ask five headteachers their advice
Positive role models should be on hand from a child’s very rst day – their teachers, their class ‘buddy’, and the prefects who guide them in those crucial rst weeks. e result: every young pupil aspiring to be just like ‘the big girls and boys’ one day.
Supportive schools with a strong academic culture and high expectations encourage pupils to see individual success as something to celebrate, not to envy. So, whether it’s a certi cate or positive marketing about a pupil’s achievement, young people take note when their classmates do well.
It doesn’t take a formal leadership role or your name up in lights, to inspire others. Growth mindset is a vital aspect of culture which I’ve tried to embed in every school in which I’ve ever worked. Pupils who try hard, believe they can succeed and grow, and show resilience, and do all this in the spirit of kindness, naturally inspire others.
One of the many wonderful things about school life is that older pupils are a daily source of inspiration to younger ones, and this is all the more important in an all-girls’ environment such as Loughborough High School. When our year seven pupils look up, they see young women taking the lead in every sphere, whether that be coordinating fundraising events and student-led committees or participating in international schemes such as the 1000 Girls; 1000 Futures STEM initiative run by the New York Academy of Sciences. ey also realise that no future is o limits; whether they want to be astronauts, architects or actors, our pupils see dynamic, resourceful and compassionate young women blazing a trail ahead of them.
We’re lucky to have hosted a variety of fantastic speakers, from a range of backgrounds, who have challenged our thinking and o ered refreshing perspectives on career pathways a er leaving school. Recently, we were joined by world-leading space scientist and science educator, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who shared with us how she had embraced her dyslexia and made her mark in a traditionally male-dominated profession. rough our specialist Futures programme, we also tap into a rich network of alumnae, who are among the best role models for our current pupils. From attending Harvard Law School to running children’s writing workshops in Zambia, our highly impressive alumnae o er global perspectives and encourage our pupils to open their minds to a world of possibilities.
Louise Simpson, Exeter School, Devon
Positive role models come in all shapes and sizes, and we need to bring together a broad range of inspiring people to help our pupils see what is possible and help them to be aspirational and ambitious.
While of course, adults can be great role models, at Exeter School, we’re lucky that we have plenty of great pupil role models within the school; the senior pupils take on leadership roles for example and have the chance to develop their skills by running projects and events for the younger pupils. A great example is the current upper h (year 11) maths buddies’ scheme; here some of our talented older pupils run a stretch and challenge session in the junior school for the more able mathematicians in lower two and upper two (years ve and six). Everyone loves the chance to get involved, everyone learns lots, and everyone has a lot of fun too.
Supportive schools with high academic expectations and standards, like Ashville College, see individual success as something to celebrate, not envy
Tom Lawson, Eastbourne College, East Sussex
At Eastbourne College, we make an e ort to bring in speakers who are relatable as well as exceptional. For example, entrepreneur and author Onyinye Udokporo recently inspired our pupils to embrace their di erences by sharing her experience of dyslexia and subsequent success.
Former pupils who have gone on to have exciting careers are also brilliant role models, as they get pupils thinking about what their own future could look like. From actors to top women in STEM, we have plenty of alumni who are happy to share their journey a er leaving the college.
But perhaps the most important role modelling comes from everyday actions by sta and senior pupils: the teacher who reads a book in the library, or the prefect who shows concern for a lost soul. Inspiration is around us all the time.
Martin Walker, Berkhamsted Sixth, Herts
I once heard an interesting piece of parenting advice which was that you can teach your children very little, but they will learn everything from you. erefore, the example that role models set in schools is more important than the messages we deliver. It’s vital that both sta and student leaders embody the school values and are authentic. When I became a House Master, a colleague gave me a great piece of advice on appointing prefects: “Make sure your appointments re ect your values!” ere’s no doubt that the power of narrative can inspire too. Former pupils telling their own personal stories can have a profound impact as the current pupils can so easily identify with their journey. And pupils o en enjoy hearing that this successful professional had their fair share of di culties at school and was not at the top of their class. at gives students hope and enables them to see the importance of character traits and qualities in addition to academic quali cations.
Stories that make the impact of role models in the world come alive can also be inspirational and change behaviour. e storyteller must make the role model’s sense of purpose, their struggles, and their character come alive. For example, contrasting the pictures of Ruby Bridges being escorted to school by security guards with a more recent picture of her and Barack Obama in the White House re ecting on her journey to school make both her sense of purpose and her impact real. Rhetorical questions that transport pupils into a world of (self-)re ection can then inspire pupils to consider what they would like to achieve and how they will overcome di culties to do so. “How can we inspire children?” at is a question we should be asking ourselves as educators every day. And then we should consider how we can best support individual students to grow the courage to overcome life’s challenges and do their part to make the world a better place.
OUR EXPERTS
Rhiannon Wilkinson ASHVILLE COLLEGE
Fiona Miles LOUGHBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL
Louise Simpson EXETER SCHOOL
Tom Lawson EASTBOURNE COLLEGE
Martin Walker BERKHAMSTED SIXTH
