Transcript

CHRIS JENNINGS

A number of years ago now, possibly ten years. A member of staff heard about peer mediation, heard about the role that CRESST had came excitedly in to school, spoke to me about it, and we investigated it. And thought, so this sounds really positive.

ALISON MURRAY

Peer mediation is where we have a group of six children, who were all trained, to be able to think about, consider and support other children in resolving their conflicts. So we have been running the scheme for many, many years now. We’ve seen a lot of success with the scheme over the years, and every year I’m surprised by how many children we get apply.

ROB UNWIN

Parents talk about, pupils talk about it is a known thing. Pupils in younger year groups look forward to it in all the year groups and it’s just sort of part of the ethos and the the life of the school and it’s really, really good to see it’s so well embedded and so supported not just by senior leadership and individual teachers, but by a vast majority of the school community.

HANNAH

I think peer mediatio in school is important because it gives children the opportunity to talk with other children and their peers about issues that they might be having at school, but also could be it could be at home or anywhere. And often it’s talking to peers that will help them resolve these problems.

SAM

Children have a lot of worries,a lot of concerns. I think as time goes on that gets more apparent and more of a problem. It’s definitely something that I didn’t think of, but I think the children, really benefit from being aware of what’s going on and being aware of what other people are dealing with and issues that are going on in friendship groups. I think it helps with their empathy. It helps them to mature and just become what quite well rounded children really, that aren’t just focused on themselves.

ROME

Peer mediators are basically, kids schools that help other kids resolve the conflict and disagreement

ASSAD

Because the mediation, the school is more calm and nobody says, I don’t want to go to school because of that and that we’re here to help people.

JESSE

Once, I had an argument with my best friend over like football. And like. Last year’s Year 6 brought me and my friend into a room to sort it out. Me and my friend thought of an idea that we both agreed on, and then that made me feel better. I think that it made me want to be a peer mediator more. Because if you can just help two people in the world it will make it a better place.

AVA

I wanted to be a peer mediator because I like the idea of helping kids like normally younger than me, solving their own problems, sorting their problems out by themselves.

ASSAD

I wanted to be a mediator because I wanted to help people, not cause conflict.

EMILY

I wanted to be a mediator so I could help other people solve their problems. Because I’ve been in an argument before, and I know that it’s not nice being in an argument and they’re not being able to solve it. But if I could help some people solvetheir arguments, I think I’d like it.

ISHKA

The skills it’s given me is probably to listen more, understand, and to keep it inside more. Because my teachers have told me day after day I’m really loud and I talk. But it’s touch me too. I have to listen, understand? And even if I want to say something that could probably help them, I can’t because that’s not part of peer mediation. So it’s taught me to more self control

ASSAD

To be honest, I’m very shy to be asking people and helping people, but I’ve gone better with mediation.

AVA

The skills that peer mediating has given me are that it helps me solve my own problems. If like my friends get into an argument or a disagreement. I can sort of, as a friend, help them out, solving that problem.

CHRIS JENNINGS

if they’ve had a fall out. They’re very adept at vocalising. Now what’s happened? What’s going on? Finding solution to move forward. Or they’re developing and have developed the ability to see that they may not reconcile their views, but they can move forward with that. They don’t have to be in conflict because they have a different viewpoint.

ROME

When I’m grown up these skills could help with, like there’s an argument somewhere where I’m going or like in a queue or something. I could use the skills to try and calm it down.