All 60 children in primary 1 at Woodside Primary in Hamilton are being matched up with mentors from the 56 children in primary 7. The 'big buddies' will help the 'little buddies' in a variety of ways, from listening to their reading to just checking up on how they are settling in.
Depute headteacher Kevin Kelman said, 'We have just started to pair the children up. Some of the P1 children may have problems with a particular curriculum area, so this will give them an opportunity to practice. It's like a support network. We're planning to have a "buddy lunchtime" for all the buddies to get to know each other, and we'll ask the big buddies and wee buddies to hook up on Fridays to have a chat about how the wee buddies have found the week and what they've been up to.'
The pilot initiative kicked off with a Big Buddy Away Day - a training day for the older children - at South Lanarkshire Council headquarters at the end of last month. The children took part in exercises designed to demonstrate the importance of good communication, including sitting in a circle and talking while throwing a ball of wool around from speaker to speaker to create a web, and role play activities that explored different approaches to talking to others, including shouting and whispering.
Mr Kelman said, 'The big buddies are all really excited about the scheme.'
Councillor Jean McKeown, the chair of education resources, praised the initiative for giving older children new responsibilities and providing younger ones with 'a hand of friendship and support'.
She said, 'Giving children the opportunity to get involved in active citizenship and allowing them to have responsibility and care for other children is an excellent initiative. The school is breaking down many barriers and actively encouraging the older children to look out for and take care of the more vulnerable youngsters who may have more reservations or even be a little intimidated by school.
'This scheme will no doubt raise attainment and will ensure the younger children are comfortable at school. It will enhance their transition through education and I cannot congratulate the school enough, as this very important project will no doubt be of benefit to the whole school.'
