Accredited Peer Support: Clyde Valley High
In this short article taken from "Success Stories III" (see below) staff at Clyde Valey High School describe how they implemented an accredited peer support scheme that offered the possibility of paid employment for senior students.
We were keen to develop a framework for peer support that moved beyond individual programmes such as buddying systems and offered both a variety of activities to those who were being supported and proper training opportunities to the senior pupils who would provide the support. Peer Support has therefore been set up as an accredited subject within the S6 curriculum; it is timetabled for two periods a week throughout the year with the PT Guidance and leads to Intermediate 1/2 units in "Working with Others". Pupils who choose this option - and there are currently 16 - have to commit to help on three of the twelve different support programmes on offer. They can choose on the basis of their interest and other commitments.
At the start of the course, the S6 pupils take part in a residential weekend where they are trained in co-operative learning techniques, communication skills and leadership. Then, during the weekly lesson periods, they undergo further training; they discuss programmes and evaluate their effectiveness as well as evaluating their own effectiveness. One aspect of the programme is that the senior pupils are offered paid employment opportunities within the school; for example, one of the support programmes is a Junior Arts college run for primary 7 pupils. It is designed to support the transition process from primary to secondary. It includes both an Easter and a Summer Theatre School and the senior pupils are offered paid employment to help run these.
At present we have sixteen S6 pupils working on a weekly basis with approximately 200 pupils from P7 to S2 on a range of projects, such as the co-operative learning clubs for S1 pupils. All our nine partnership primary schools are linked to us through the support programmes.
Clyde Valley High School's Peer Support Programme has been recognised and awarded both locally and nationally as an example of good practice in ethos and citizenship development.
For further details or to view other examples from the Success Stories series, visi the SPTC web site via the link on the right.
