PEER SUPPORT

Early in Term 1 each Year 7 boy is paired with an older boy as part of a 'Buddy System'.

The older boys are chosen not on the school year that they might happen to be in but for the leadership qualities that they have displayed in their time at Newington.

Meeting once a week, the older boy helps familiarise his younger charge with many aspects of daily life at school.

Not all the activities are formally planned and time is also set aside for informal social interaction between the two.

Three classes in Year 7 are involved in the formal Peer Support Program which will be extended to all classes in 2009. This involves senior boys working with small groups of Year 7s. They not only familiarise the boys with the way the school works and provide them with links to older, experienced members of the school but participate in a formal program to help develop their resilience and to develop effective coping strategies. Classes not involved in the formal program are aligned with other Year 11 boys who support them through their initial time in Secondary School.

The senior boys who volunteer to be involved participate in a training program prior to commencement.