Welcome to our Buddies
What is a Buddy?
A buddy takes on the role of a peer mentor supporting their friends in repairing relationships.
A buddy advocates the use of restorative practice in school.
A buddy provides a pathway for any child to come and share their feelings.
Being a buddy gives children a chance to make changes for the better in our school.
Who is chosen for a Buddy?
Every year the pupils elect two representatives from their classes, from Year 1 to Year 6 to become a buddy. They are chosen because they are helpful, responsible and caring. They must be willing to give up their time at lunch to be available to support children who need them. The aims of a buddy are:
To provide children with the opportunity to report any incidents that have taken place on the playground to a peer mentor
Support children in school in holding restorative chats following an incident
Ensure that any incidents that are shared with an appropriate adult in school
Raise the profile of restorative practice across the school
Celebrate positive behaviour through the positivity boards
Why do we have a Buddies at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Primary School?
The role of a buddy is to ensure that all children have a way of reporting incidents that take place in school. They provide a visible presence on the playground and create pathways for all children to share any problems on the yard. This develops a sense of responsibility and includes them in making our school a happy and safe place.
What kinds of things does a Buddy do?
Buddies have an active role in supporting children during break and lunch time. They support children on the playground by:
- Providing opportunities to discuss anything that may be upsetting them
- Finding friends during break and lunch time for anyone who is alone
- Helping children move forward from an incident with a friend
What are the Buddies involved in this year?
This year we are going to train our buddies to become restorative practice mentors. This will allow our buddies to support our staff in holding restorative chats to help children repair the harm that has been caused following an incident.
The buddies will also be involved in ensuring that positivity boards are used in classes and that children are identified demonstrating positive behaviour linked to our golden charter.