Pupil Listeners At the end of a long 2020-2021 pandemic academic year, we made a proposal to our outgoing year 6 cohort: to be pupil listeners for the children in the junior end of the school. The spec: to support and play with children in our Pre-Prep, to assist the teachers at break times and to help the younger pupils understand our Dragon Values. As with most Prep Schools, we are filled with enthusiastic, keen pupils who are keen to seize any opportunity thrown their way, so we expected to have a few volunteers. The role, as it was planned, carried a degree of responsibility so children who were interested were asked to either write to or talk with their Personal Development teachers to explain why they were keen.
could participate and have the most rewarding experience. There is a group per term that work together as the ‘Active Pupil Listeners’ for the duration. This allows the ‘important things’ that our Year 7s so eruditely concurred to really develop and embed. Firm friendships are made. Our Pupil listeners learn patience, negotiation, and mediation skills and are rewarded with adoration and a touch of cheekiness from our youngest members!
By the end of the day, of their own volition, every single child in year 6 had written a letter – both remarkable and somewhat overwhelming, it must be said! These letters were heartfelt. Comments such as ‘I remember when the big children played with me and it made it the best day ever,’ and ‘I want to help the teachers who helped me’... littered the letters, everyone wanted the opportunity to give back to their school community. Logistics of managing this aside, of course, we would give everyone the chance to wear their badge with pride and make a difference.
The highlight so far was the Christmas craft extravaganza. Our pupil listeners spent the afternoon working with their buddies on creating cards and gifts for our local charity – they returned bedazzled with glitter, proud of stepping up to the challenge and having ‘never laughed so much!’ Our next troop have the ‘Eggcellent easter Hunt’ to prepare for and the summer team will play host to the children on our move up morning.
So, it came to be that at the start of our new academic year, I sat with an entire year group of children talking to them about what our Sherborne Prep Pupil Listeners would do over the year. Through discussion of what was important – consistency, building strong relationships and learning both for the younger and older children (the children’s thoughts, I hasten to add). The new Year 7s themselves agreed on how best to plot the way forward. By offering ownership of the role to the pupils they were able to plan the year ahead and work out the plan of how everyone
These are friendships that will last and as our year 2s take the step to ‘big’ school that spark of excitement as they walk to the big blue door will shine a little brighter, knowing that already some of those giants in the senior school are their friends who will always look out for them. It takes a community to bring up a child and this is exactly our ethos at SPS.
Annie Gent Deputy Head (Pastoral) written for the BSA Magazine
57
