Volunteering and Leadership Rationale Leadership and volunteering activities

Volunteering and Leadership Rationale • Leadership and volunteering activities can benefit the institution and the individuals in many ways: • It can raise pupils’ self esteem, allow them to acquire and develop skills that are transferable to many other situations. • It can enhance job application form, UCAS forms as well as applications for further study placements. • It may engage pupils who have become disaffected by PE. • It may ease the transition from Primary to Secondary School. • It can enhance community links. • It can enrich the lives of disabled people and make pupils more ‘disability aware’

Considerations for teachers when trying to develop or introduce leadership or volunteering opportunities. • Try to make the Leadership Team aware of the benefits to both individuals and to the students. • Stress that a variety of students will be used over a set period of time and at the beginning of the year state how much time they will be missing from the curriculum and the exact dates when events take place.

Key Stage 1. • • Equipment monitor Lead partner in part of warm up Distributing equipment Lead the group to the teaching area • Ways to raise the profiles/volunteers • Pupils wear a badge and or have their name recorded on a role of honour displayed in class room. • Rewards such as certificates/ names read out in class. • Evidence for external personnel/agencies: • It is vital that the pupils know that they are in a leadership or volunteering role. The teacher must make it explicit to the class what is involved and what their responsibilities are. • Teacher simply records on their register those who have been PE monitors/ sports leader for that week.

Key Stage 2. • • • • Young Leaders Award is available for all pupils aged 9 to 13. Leading small groups or a class or a partner in part of the warm up. Help run festivals for children who are younger than them. Count or hand out equipment. May lead alternative activities if it is a wet play situation. Assist with ‘Take Ten’ Indoor/ wet weather PE lessons could be used for pupils to plan simple activities and then to teach / explain these to others. School Sports Council. Older pupils going in to the lessons of younger pupils and helping. Ways to raise the profiles/volunteers Pupils wear a badge and or have their name recorded on a role of honour displayed in class room. Rewards such as certificates/ names read out in class/ assembly A display board is set up with photos.

Key Stage 3. • Young Leaders Award • Pupils lead all or part of the warm up or cool down. • Pupils teach other a particular skill. • Some pupils may be able to go to local community placements and help with younger pupils. • Help run festivals. • Very able pupils may be able to help out in extra curricular clubs at lunch time or after school.

Key Stage 4 • • • • • • Junior Sports Leaders Award (JSLA) Duke of Edinburgh Award Assisting at clubs run by ‘The Uniformed Organisations’ Being on The School Council or The school Sports Council Helping to coach/organise teams. Officiate at festivals, fixtures or intra –school events. Assist with Sports day Helping in Community Clubs or local schools. Contribute to the school newsletter. Help run charity events. Act as club buddies. Positions of responsibility such as Sports Captains/ Sports Prefects. Assist form tutors in organising inter-form teams Ways to raise the profiles/volunteers Letters of congratulation are sent home to parents A notice board is drawn up of who the volunteers/leaders are and what they do. Those who have done very well are rewarded through the school’s reward system. Very committed individuals are nominated for external awards such as The Jack Petchey Awards given a Prize Giving or Presentation days Use digital display boards to highlight individuals. School website/ newsletters. References to leadership made in school reports

Key Stage 5 • Accredited Awards include Community Sports Leaders Award (CSLA) The Higher Sports Leaders Award HSLA, The Duke of Edinburgh Award. • Being part of the Leadership Academy. • Within school the sixth formers can help in PE lessons lower down the school. • Help officiate and organise events. • Assist with the coaching and running of teams. • Help with the management of the PE Department eg notice boards, equipment storage and rotation • Assist form tutors in organising inter-form teams • Details of all the accredited courses to do with Leadership and Volunteering can be found at www. sportleaders. org

Leadership and volunteering at KS 1 and KS 2 • Buddy System set up at Livingstone School. • Not using an accredited course but based on book by Jenny Mosely “All year Round” which looks at empathy in children and successful pupil inclusion. • Pupils are trained in year 5 and some continue on in to yr 6

Training for buddy scheme • Pupils fill in an application and have an interview stating why they would like to volunteer and be a buddy in the playground. • Training takes place out of class during the Creative Curriculum time and during some play times. 8 sessions, each lasting 30 mins, are needed. This initially starts off teaching the pupils about empathy and friendship and then moves on to teaching and leading particular games/activities. • These games include ‘What is the time Mr Wolf? ’, ‘Grandmother’s footsteps’ and ‘IT’ type games.

Other points and future developments Start off with a large pool of potential buddies/leaders as there is often a high drop off rate. The more able buddies will use the scheme to do some simple pupil lead conflict resolution work. The ‘friendship stop’ will be moved in to a shelter where pupils can wait more comfortably for a buddy. The shelter will also have drawing activities lego and duplo, puzzles and alternatives to ball games to encourage pupil integration. 2 buddies are placed in each playground. They wear a waistcoat for identification. Maria Stephens is the TA at Livingstone who has lead much of this. She is very happy to help/advise others.

Reward and recognition for community volunteers • It is difficult for some pupils to achieve the targets set by the SIS programme as it does not allow pupils to combine school based hours and community based hours. I therefore feel pupils should get recognition for hour s completed even if this does not actually let them get an accredited award.

Additional ways of rewarding pupils. • Certificates/medals that are achievable in your institution. • Postcards home • Notice board • T shirts • Prizes in School Prize Giving Evening • Comments made on School Reports and References