NEWS
WELCOME TO THE SENIOR SCHOOL , WHERE IT ’ S OK TO ASK FOR HELP
A SUPPORTIVE CULTURE FOR BOYS ENTERING THE SENIOR SCHOOL
' HELPING HANDS ' — PROVIDING AVENUES
OF HELP FOR NEW YEAR 7 BOYS
While exciting , the transition from primary school to high school can also be an overwhelming experience for many Year 7s . The size of the senior campus , the many new faces to remember , going from having just one general teacher to having 11 subject-specific teachers , are all experiences that Year 7 students can find stressful .
At the end of 2022 , the Year 9 Lawson tutor group ran a special session with Mr Phil Richards ’ Year 6 class , with one important message : ‘ It is OK to ask for help ’.
The challenges boys find in asking for help was a central topic in a series of psychologist-run sessions the Year 9 Lawson tutor group participated in , as part of an action research project run through the International Boys ’ Schools Coalition .
The focus of this project was to explore and challenge the barriers boys have in asking for support when needed .
One of the findings that emerged in the tutor group was that boys sometimes feel embarrassed to ask for help . Many of the Year 9 Lawson boys felt that this was due to expectations held out by society , that boys should be self-reliant in terms of solving problems , and that vulnerability can be perceived as weakness by other boys . In class discussion , the Year 9 Lawson boys recognised the importance of challenging these harmful stereotypes for themselves and other Scotch boys .
Peer leadership is a powerful way of influencing the behaviour of younger students , and the Year 9 Lawson boys were keen to harness its potential in running a session for Year 6R . In the session , the Year 9s spoke to the Year 6 boys about the importance of asking for help when they need it in the Senior School . They shared their own experiences in Year 7 and discussed with the boys who they could turn to for help , if needed .
They then worked 1:1 with the Year 6 boys and drew ‘ Helping Hands ’ together ( left ), writing the name of someone they could ask for help from in the Senior School , if they ever needed it . In the palms of the hands , the Year 6s wrote down what the Year 9 boys had said they had wished they had known in Year 7 . Mantras like ‘ Don ’ t be sad after making mistakes – learn from them ’ and ‘ You will miss every shot you don ’ t take ’ reflected the encouragement the Year 9s gave the Year 6s to have courage , take chances and get support when needed .
The Year 6 boys readily engaged with the Year 9s , and the Year 9 Lawson boys did an incredible job setting up a supportive culture for the Year 6 Scotch boys coming over to the Senior School this year . This was summed up well in one of the comments from a Year 6R boy in a feedback session the next day :
‘ It never came to my mind to ask for help ! You think everyone will look down on you but ... It was really good interacting with the older kids … They gave you advice for Senior School … it was reinforcing the fact that you can always ask for help .’
LARA SILKOFF , SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST
28 Great Scot Issue 168 – May 2023