Improving Primary School Playtimes - Essex Local Offer · enjoy their playtime, they will invariably learn and achieve better than if playtime presents them with a degree of anxiety

Playleaders

Improving Primary School Playtimesthrough peer support

Training Course for Schools

Playleaders: improving primary schoolplaytimes through peer support

Published by:Essex County Council

PO Box 47, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 1LX

© Essex County Council 2004

ISBN 1 8419 4045 3

Price: £50.00

Further copies may be obtained from:Essex County Council

Electronic Information ServicePO Box 11, County Hall, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1LX

Email: [email protected]: 01245 430055

Printed by Corporate Document ServicesSpringfield House, Springfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 6JE

Acknowledgements

Jackie Lamb would like to thank the following for their help in researching and writing thisdocument:

• Edward Francis Junior School, Rayleigh, Essex.

• Harwich Primary School, Harwich, Essex.

• Newport Primary School, Newport, Essex.

• William Martin Junior School, Harlow Essex

for their help in researching the Playleader project.

• Colleagues in Behaviour Supportespecially:

Gill HollandJonathan MillerJanet SzpakowskiSharon DelaneyDiane LeCountJayne StiltonHazel Sugarmanand the West Essex Primary Behaviour Support Team

• Peter Lamb

for his help and patience with various technical support.

Playleaders – Training Course for Schools 3


Contents

• Introduction

What is a Playleader?

Aims of the Playleader Programme

Playleader of Training Programme Sequence

• Phase One

Set-up Procedures

• Phase Two

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Session 4

Session 5

Session 6

• Phase Three

Post Training

• Appendices

Appendix A – Environmental Factors

Appendix B – Playtime Questionnaire

Appendix C – Playleader Passport

Appendix D – Playground Games

Appendix E – Pupil Resource Can I Play Please

Appendix F – Empathy Cards

Appendix G – Assertiveness Training

Appendix H – Lets Solve the Problem Together

Appendix I – Conflict Resolution Scenarios

• References and Recommended Reading

Inrroduction

Introduction


Introduction

Positive experiences of playtimes contributeto the quality of school life. When childrenenjoy their playtime, they will invariablylearn and achieve better than if playtimepresents them with a degree of anxiety. Theperception that playtimes can often beproblematic gives rise to the challenge ofadults and children working together toimprove playtimes and the quality ofchildren’s lives in primary schools.

Providing a system or structure such asPlayleaders provides children with a way tohelp others and harness the willingness theyhave to help one another.

If our future societies are to be caringplaces we have a duty to construct suchsocieties with our children.

Children play an active part in theconstruction of their world and we cannotsimply ‘tell’ our children to be caring or fillthem with the information necessary forthem to be responsible citizens. Too oftenwe expect children to follow rules laid downfor them; we need to work with them,provide and construct environments wherecaring can be explored as part of children’slearning and meaning making. If we acceptchildren as active contributors to societythen they are also active contributors to thedevelopment of systems within thosesocieties, one of those systems being carewithin our schools. One way of constructinga caring system within school is through theparticipation of children in peer support.

The essential skills that underpin all peerled approaches to care are communication,active listening and problem solving.

These skills enable a more accurateinterpretation of social situations andincrease the choice of behaviours. Theperceived benefits of Playleaders stem fromthis and are essential in promoting care inour schools. An awareness of our own andothers’ feelings, as well as self control andthe ability to make and maintainrelationships, need to be long term aims forall children and peer led approaches to careare a positive way to begin this journey.

Developing a whole school approach to careensures that the initiative is not ‘patchy’,left to chance or pre-dispositions ofindividual members of staff, but is theentitlement of every child.

Jackie Lamb

Playleaders are children themselves whosupport other children on the playground toplay games, resolve conflict peacefully,develop friendship skills.

Playleaders need to be:

• peers

• good role models

• volunteers.

In order to undertake their role well, theyalso need to be:

• able to teach and play appropriate games

• able to mediate and problem solve

• trained and continuously supported by anamed adult.

8 Playleaders – Training Course for Schools

Although the Playleader programme helpsindividual children to develop skills, it isalso a whole school approach which aimsto:

• improve behaviour on the playground

• provide a safe and supportiveenvironment for all children to:

• use and practice social skills

• develop friendships

• learn from peers and problem solvetogether

• facilitate the learning of transferable skillsthrough good peer role models

• teach pupils appropriate playgroundgames.

What is a Playleader?

Aims of the Playleader Programme

The following list outlines the actions thatneed to take place for successfulimplementation of the Playleader trainingprogramme:

• check that all the environmental factorsin Appendix A are in place

• carry out a staff meeting with all staff

• name designated members of staff

• carry out playtime questionnaire(Appendix B)

• inform pupils of the Playleader initiativethrough a whole school assembly

• invite year 5 and/or year 6 to apply forPlayleader posts

• six formal training sessions plus supportand consolidation in the playground fromdesignated adult are carried out

• arrange and present a graduationassembly

• designated adult to carry out follow upsupport as required

• repeat playtime questionnaire (Appendix B);

• compare results of pre and post trainingquestionnaires

• schedule regular ongoing meetings andproblem solving sessions betweenPlayleaders and designated adult.


Playleader Training Programme Sequence

Phase 1

Phase 1

Set-up Procedures

1. Check environmental check list(Appendix A)

It is recommended that all theenvironmental factors listed are in place tosupport the success of the programme.

2. Convene a staff meeting

Before planning to introduce a system ofpeer support in your school it is importantto consider the possibility that introducingthe system could result in significantchanges to organisation, ethos, practice anddistribution of power. Such change could bedifficult for some staff and by ensuring allstaff have access to information on thePlayleader programme potential problemscould be prevented. With this in mind theprocess of change should begin with ameeting of all school staff including: mid-day assistants, teaching assistants, theschool secretary, caretaker, governors etc., toestablish the aims and process of theprogramme.

3. Name designated staff

It is recommended that at least twomembers of staff are ‘named’ to carry outthe training and remain key adults for thePlayleaders to meet and problem solve with.A useful combination of key staff is oneteacher from the Senior Management Teamand a mid-day assistant.

4. Carry out pupil questionnaire toestablish base line (Appendix B)

5. Undertake whole school assembly

Whole school assembly to introduce theprogramme to the whole school community,including parents and invite pupils to applyfor Playleader posts.

6. Applications received and pupilsinvited to attend training sessions


Phase One

Phase 2

Phase 2

The Training

The training of the Playleaders takes placeover six sessions, each of which lasts forapproximately one hour. The traineePlayleaders should be supported to practiseand consolidate the skills they acquireduring training, in the context in which theywill work i.e. the playground. This willrequire the designated adult to work withthe Playleaders in the playground for acertain amount of timetabled time duringthe lunch break between each of the sixsessions.

The training sessions are intended to beused as a guide. Schools know their pupilsand will probably know different games thatfulfil the aims of the session. It is intendedthat the sessions are carried out using acircle time approach (see More Quality CircleTime by Jenny Mosley, 2001), to ensure thatthe adult becomes the facilitator during thetraining sessions.

Many of the resources required for thesessions are readily available in schools,others are provided in the resource sectionof the folder. A ‘talking object’ is the namegiven to an object passed around during thesession allowing the person holding it tospeak.

Each session plan has links to the NationalCurriculum – English Speaking and Listening,and PSHE and Citizenship. These are listedat the end of each session.

The role of Playleader carries with it a fairdegree of responsibility. Some childrenmight find this daunting, therefore the roleof the designated adult should not beunderestimated in supporting thePlayleaders to undertake their duties. It issuggested that two adults share this role,possibly one senior manager and one MDA.Both adults should attend all the trainingsessions.


Phase Two

Session 1

Session 1

• Agreement of the rights and responsibilities individuals will have during the trainingsessions

• Clarification of the role of the Playleaders

• Agreement of how Playleaders will be identified and rewarded


Playleader Training – Session One

Activity Details of activity Resources Time keeping

Greeting andWelcome

Praise children forarriving quietly andsitting in a circle onthe chairs already inplace.

Negotiate rules of the trainingsessions. “We will be workingtogether over the next few weeks,what would make our sessions fairand safe?”

Possible rules could include: • We have the right to speak, and the

responsibility to listen.• We can say ‘pass’ if we do not want

to speak.• We take responsibility for ourselves.• No ‘put downs’.

Talking object, flipchart or paper torecord theagreements/rules.

5/10 minutes

Game – Fruit Basket

To break the ice, mixup friendship groupsand developconcentration.

Sitting in the circle give each of thepupils the name of a fruit. Use threefruits (such as apple, orange andbanana) which keeps the game simple.

One player is chosen to stand in themiddle of the circle. The middleperson calls out the name of a fruit.Every child with this name must standup and change places with anotherwho has the same name. The child inthe middle must try to sit in a vacantseat while everybody is changingplaces, leaving a different childstanding. The player left standingbecomes the middle person for thenext round. If the middle person callsout ‘fruit basket’, everyone mustchange places.

An adult should be the first person inthe middle to model appropriatebehaviour.

5 minutes



Round

To outline theresponsibilities of thePlayleader.

“I think a Playleaderwill...”

Ask the children to think about whatkind of responsibilities a Playleadermight have in the playground.

Ask the children what they mightactually be doing as a Playleader, whatdoes it look like?

As the children respond, clarify theirviews and highlight future training todevelop skills. For example if a childsays they will break up fights; youmight partially agree that they will beable to support other children toresolve conflict and conflict resolutionwill be part of the Playleader training.

Talking object, flipchart to record theresponsibilities thatyou want thePlayleaders to carryout.

10 minutes

Open Forum

To decide howPlayleaders will berecognised in theplayground and howthey will berewarded.

Explain to the children that they canspeak by putting up their hand andthat this is an open discussion.

Explain that they need to make adecision today during this sessionrecognised? Show examples ofresources such as hats, badges andbands. Rewards and benefits for thePlayleaders could also be discussed.Rewards could be offered inrecognition of the time and supportPlayleaders will be giving to theirpeers. One example of a reward, aPlayleader passport, is shown inAppendix C. Playleaders can collectadult initials each time a ‘duty’ iscompleted. Playleaders can save for ahierarchy of rewards, for exampledifferent coloured certificates.Encourage the recognition of intrinsicrewards, such as satisfaction inhelping another person, playing withyounger children, learning negotiationskills and new games to play in theplayground.

Flip chart andexamples ofresources.

Playleader passportAppendix C.

10 minutes

Game The adult facilitator teaches the groupa playground game.

Playground gamebooklet – Appendix D.

20 minutes



Game

‘The sun shineson....’ To developlistening skills andbegin to highlightand value differences.

One child stands in the middle andstarts the sentence by saying

“The sun shines on all those ....”wearing blue, who like eating icecream, who like playing games, whoenjoy helping others.

If the children agree with the statementthey swap places while the middlechild tries to sit down. The person leftremaining takes the middle role.

An adult should be the first person inthe middle to model appropriatebehaviour.

5 minutes

End of Session Summarise.

Knowledge, skills andunderstanding

Speaking

1. To speak with confidence in a range ofcontexts, adapting their speech for arange of purposes and audiences, pupilsshould be taught to:

a) use vocabulary and syntax thatenables them to communicate morecomplex meanings;

b) gain and maintain the interest andresponse of different audiences;

e) speak audibly and clearly, usingspoken standard English in formalcontexts.

Listening

2. To listen, understand and respondappropriately to others, pupils should betaught to:

a) identify the gist of an account or keypoints in a discussion and evaluatewhat they hear;

b) relevant questions to clarify, extendand follow up ideas;

d) identify features of language used fora specific;

e) respond to others appropriately,taking into account what they say.

Group discussion and interaction

3. To talk effectively as members of agroup, pupils should be taught to:

a) make contributions relevant to thetopic and take turns in discussion;

b) vary contributions to suit the activityand purpose, including exploratoryand tentative comments where ideasare being collected together, andreasoned, evaluative comments asdiscussion moves to conclusions oractions;

d) deal politely with opposing points ofview and enable discussion to move


English EN1 Speaking and Listening


Developing confidence and responsibilityand making the most of their abilities

1. Pupils should be taught:

a) to talk about and explain their views,on issues that affect themselves andsociety.

Breadth of opportunities

5. Pupils should be taught the knowledge,

skills and understanding throughopportunities to:

b) feel positive about themselves (forexample, rewards through passports,certificates, graduation assembly,regular meetings with designatedadult, and early lunches);

e) meet and talk with people (forexample, people who contribute tosociety in a positive way such asmembers of the behaviour supportteam, people who work in the schooland the neighbourhood).

PSHE and Citizenship

Links to the National Curriculum 2000 Key Stage 2:

Session 2

Session 2


• Clarify playground rules

• Begin to teach the skills Playleaders require to lead games in the playground

Playleader Training – Session Two


Greeting andWelcome


Remind everyone of the rules ofworking together.

5 minutes

Round

Rules of workingtogether.

“When the talking object comes toyou say the rules of the circle.”

Talking object. 5 minutes

Game – Addabout

To developconcentration,memory andconfidence.

A circle member begins by doing onesimple action. This action must becopied by the player on her left. Thisperson then adds an action of hisown. The next player on the left mustrepeat the first two actions and thenadd one of her own. This is repeatedall the way round the circle.

5 minutes

Activity

Rules of thePlayground.

Divide the circle into small groupsensuring there is an adult per group.Discuss the rules of the playgroundand record onto flip chart paper.

Are the rules positively worded? Canthey be seen? Do they agree that theyare fair and purposeful? (The answerto all the above should be ‘yes’. Ifthere are any problems the designatedmember of staff should be able toaddress them.

Reconvene the large circle and agreeas a whole group on five or six rules.These should then be visuallydisplayed for the whole school.

Flip chart and pens. 15 minutes



Activity

Organising a game.

Divide the circle into small groupsensuring there is an adult per group.

One of the children in each groupvolunteers to be the observer andanother agrees to organise a game.While the game is being played theadult supports the observer to noticepositive strategies such as rulenegotiation, choosing a leader andboundary setting.

Half way through the activity theobserver stops the game and pointsout the successful interventions andsuggests other successful strategies.

Reconvene the large circle and prepareto share successful game playingstrategies.

Provide each Playleader with a bookletof ‘Can I Play Please’ to look atbefore next session.

Can I Play Pleasebooklet – Appendix E.

10 minutes

Round

“A successful gameneeds...”

Pass the talking object and eachmember of the circle says somethingthat makes a game successful.

Talking object, flipchart for adult toscribe attributes ofsuccessful games.

5 minutes

Summary

Encourage thePlayleaders to play agame with youngerchildren during theforthcoming week.Tell them that adesignated adult willbe in the playgroundto support their gameplaying skills.

Discuss who will meet the Playleaders,what time and where.

2 minutes



Game -– Pass thesqueeze

Children sit in a circle and place theirright hand on to the shoulder of thechild on their right. The adult modelshow to gently squeeze the shoulderjust enough to make them ‘smile’. Thechildren then follow one after anotherand until the squeeze returns to theadult. If successful they can play thiswith their eyes shut.

3/5 minutes

End of session Summarise.



Speaking



c) choose material that is relevant tothe topic and the listeners;


Listening

1. To listen and respond appropriately toothers, pupils should be taught to:


b) ask relevant questions to clarify,extend and follow up ideas;






c) qualify or justify what they think afterlistening to others’ questions oraccounts;

d) deal politely with opposing points ofview and enable discussion to moveon;

e) take up and sustain different roles,adapting them to suit the situationincluding scribe and spokesperson;

f ) use different ways to help the groupmove forward, including summarisingthe main points, reviewing what hasbeen said, clarifying, drawing othersin, reaching agreement, consideringalternatives and anticipatingconsequences.

Breadth of study

7. During the key stage, pupils should betaught the knowledge, skills andunderstanding through the followingrange of activities, contexts andpurposes.

Speaking

8. The range should include:

a) reading aloud.

Listening

9. The range should include opportunitiesfor pupils to listen to:

a) others in groups.

Group discussions and interaction

10. The range of purposes should include:

a) investigating, selecting, sorting;c) explaining, reporting, evaluating.







a) to talk, about their opinions andexplain their views, on issues thataffect themselves and society.

Preparing to play an active role as citizens

2 Pupils should be taught:

b) why and how rules are made andenforced, why different rules areneeded in different situations, how totake part in making and changingrules;

b) to realise the consequences of anti-social and aggressive behaviours,such as racism, on individuals andcommunities.


1. During this key stage, pupils should betaught knowledge, skills and understandingthrough opportunities to:

a) take responsibility (for example, forplanning and looking after the schoolenvironment; for the needs of others,such as by acting as a peersupporter, as a befriender, or as amediator for younger pupils);

b) feel positive about themselves;c) make real choices and decisions;d) meet and talk with people (for

example, people who contribute tosociety in a positive way such asmembers of the behaviour supportteam, people who work in the schooland neighbourhood.);

e) prepare for change.


Session 3

Session 3


• Raise Playleaders’ awareness of other people’s feelings

• Look at facial expressions and body language and what this might tells us

Playleader Training – Session Three


Greeting andWelcome

Praise children forarriving quietly andsitting on the chairsalready in place, in acircle.

Remind everyone of the rules ofworking together.

5 minutes

Round

A game I haveenjoyed playing thisweek is ...

Pass the talking object and eachperson can share a game that theyhave enjoyed in the playground overthe last week.


Game – Fruit basket

To break the ice, mixup friendship groupsand developconcentration.

While the children are sitting in acircle give each of them a name of afruit. Use three fruits (such as apple,orange and banana) this keeps thegame simpler.

One player is chosen to stand in themiddle of the circle. The middleperson calls out the name of a fruit.Every child with this name must standup and change places with anotherwho has the same name. The child inthe middle must try to sit in a vacantseat while everybody is changingplaces, leaving a different childstanding. The player left standingbecomes the middle person for thenext round. If the middle person callsout ‘fruit basket’, everyone mustchange places.

The adult to be the first person in themiddle to model appropriatebehaviour.

3/5 minutes



Activity

Emotion pictures.

Three large pieces of paper need to beplaced in the middle of the circle,labelled ‘happy’, ‘sad’ and ‘happy/sad’.Each Playleader is then given a cardwith a picture and corresponding wordof an emotion, in turn each pupilplaces their card on to one of thepieces of paper. It is important todiscuss emotions that could go on thepaper marked ‘happy/sad’, forexample, ‘surprise’ as this can makeus feel happy or sad depending on thesurprise.

Next, each pupil takes a picture from aselection which does not have thename of the emotion written on it.They then place this picture on one ofthe large sheets of paper and write aword below the picture to describe thehappy or sad emotion. For example ahappy emotion might be ‘pleased’ or asad emotion might be ‘guilty’. The setof pictures with the names of theemotions on need to remain on thepaper to give the pupils an extendedlanguage of emotions. Encouragediscussion about people ‘reading’ howpeople feel by looking at their facialexpressions and body language andalso how this can sometimes beincorrect.

Empathy cards –Appendix F.

10 minutes

Open forum

Discussion aboutwhat body languagecan tell us about theway people feel andwhy someone may befeeling that way.

Explain to the children that they canspeak by putting up their hand andthat this is an open discussion.

Clarify any terms, for example ‘bodylanguage’.

Start the discussion with a questionabout the last activity, for examplewhat can ‘body language’ tell us, whatdo we need to look for?

Ask what might make someone feelhappy or angry.

What other behaviours might someonedisplay if they are feeling angry orexcited, or other emotions?

15 minutes



Learn a Game The adult facilitator teaches the groupa new playground game.

Book – PlaygroundGames – Appendix D.

Summary

Encourage thePlayleaders to look atpupils’ body languagein the playground.Also to play a gamewith youngerchildren. Tell themthat a designatedadult will be in theplayground tosupport theirobservations andgame playing skills.


3 minutes



Knowledge, skills andunderstanding.

Speaking





Listening











e) take up and sustain different roles,adapting them to suit the situationincluding scribe and spokesperson;


Breadth of study


Speaking

8. The range should include:

a) reading aloud.

Listening


b) others in groups.

Group discussions and interaction


a) investigating, selecting, sorting;c) explaining, reporting, evaluating.







a) to talk, about their opinions andexplain their views, on issues thataffect themselves and society.




c) to realise the consequences of anti-social and aggressive behaviours,such as racism, on individuals andcommunities.


4. During this key stage, pupils should betaught knowledge, skills and understandingthrough opportunities to:



example, people who contribute tosociety in a positive way such asmembers of the behaviour supportteam, people who work in the schooland neighbourhood);



Session 4

Session 4


• Continue to raise awareness of other people’s feelings.

Playleader Training – Session Four


Greeting andWelcome


Game – Addabout

To developconcentration,memory andconfidence.

A circle member begins by doing onesimple action. The player on the leftmust copy this action. This personthen adds an action of their own. Thenext player on the left must repeat thefirst two actions and then add one oftheir own. This is repeated all the wayround the circle.

5 minutes

Activity

Someone else’sshoes.

Introduce the group to the idea thatwe are all different and we havedifferent likes and dislikes.Understanding that we are all differenthelps us to accept that people don’thave to be the same to get along witheach other.

The children get into pairs. They findsomething that their partner dislikeswhich they like. They then tell theirpartner all the reasons why theyshould like that particular thing. Theirpartner needs to listen very carefully,as they will feed back to the group asif they are explaining or describingsomething they really like.

20 minutes

Open forum

What can makepeople feel angry inthe playground?

Remind the pupils of the rules of anopen forum session (see last week).Ask the question ‘what sorts of thingscan make people feel angry in theplayground?’

Write up some of their suggestions.Do the same things make everyoneangry?




Round

‘I helped someone inthe playground by ...’

Pass the talking object and eachperson can share a successfulexperience they have had during thelast week.


Summary

Encourage thePlayleaders to play agame with youngerchildren during theforthcoming week.Tell them that adesignated adult willbe in the playgroundto support their gameplaying skills.


2 minutes

Game

Pass the squeeze.

Children sit in a circle and place theirright hand on to the shoulder of thechild on their right. The adult modelshow to gently squeeze the shoulderjust enough to make them ‘smile’. Thechildren then follow one after anotherand until the squeeze returns to theadult. If successful they can play thiswith their eyes shut.

3/5 minutes




Speaking





Listening










d) deal politely with opposing points ofview and enable discussion to moveon.

Breadth of study


Listening


a) live talks/presentations;b) recordings;c) others in groups.



a) investigating, selecting, sorting;b) planning, predicting, exploring;c) explaining, reporting, evaluating.







a) to talk, about their opinions andexplain their views, on issues thataffect themselves and society;

b) to face new challenges positively bycollecting information, looking forhelp, making responsible choices,and taking action.


5. During this key stage, pupils should betaught the knowledge, skills andunderstanding through opportunities to:

e) meet and talk with people (forexample, people who contribute tosociety in a positive way such asmembers of the behaviour supportteam, people who work in the schooland neighbourhood);

f ) develop relationships through workand play;

i) prepare for change (for exampleorganising games with youngerchildren).


Session 5

Session 5


• Develop conflict resolution skills

• Develop assertiveness skills

Playleader Training – Session Five


Greeting andWelcome

Praise the children forarriving quietly andsitting in a circle onthe chairs already inplace.

Round

‘I helped someone inthe playground by ...’

Pass the talking object and eachperson can share a successfulexperience they have had during thelast week.


Open Forum

To experience thedifference betweenaggressive, passiveand assertive.

Explain that it is important not to beaggressive or passive when supportingother children, but to be assertive.Explain these three terms – see infosheet.

Ask for volunteers to say the sentence“my name is ...” in an aggressive,assertive or passive way. The othershave to guess which it was.

Assertivenessinformation sheets –Appendix G.

10 minutes

Activity Talk through the Lets Solve theProblem Together sheet.

Copy of 5W’s sheetsfor each pupil.

10 minutes

Role-Play

Conflict resolution

Divide the Playleaders into groups.Using the scenarios in Appendix I thePlayleaders can rehearse dealing withdifficult situations. There should be anadult facilitator with each group.Explore issues such as when do thePlayleaders need to ask for adult help?voice levels and body language of thePlayleaders (assertiveness). Use the‘Let’s Solve the Problem Together’sheet; also see Essex Approach page181.

Scenarios –Appendix I.

Let’s Solve theProblem Togethersheets.

15 minutes

Learn a Game The adult facilitator teaches the groupa new play ground game.

Book – Playgroundgames - Appendix D.



Summary

Encourage thePlayleaders topractice their conflictresolution skills inthe playground, andto play a game withyounger children. Tellthem that adesignated adult willbe in the playgroundto support them.


Give out Assertiveness informationsheets (Appendix G) to pupils to readbefore next week.

Assertivenessinformation sheets -Appendix G.

3 minutes

End of session Summarise


Knowledge, skills andunderstanding.

Speaking





Listening










d) deal politely with opposing points ofview and enable discussion to moveon.

Breadth of study


Listening


a) live talks/presentations;b) recordings ;c) others in groups.



a) investigating, selecting, sorting;b) planning, predicting, exploring;c) explaining, reporting, evaluating.







a) to talk, about their opinions andexplain their views, on issues thataffect themselves and society;

b) to face new challenges positively bycollecting information, looking forhelp, making responsible choices,and taking action.


5. During this key stage, pupils should betaught the knowledge, skills andunderstanding through opportunities to:

e) meet and talk with people (forexample, people who contribute tosociety in a positive way such asmembers of the behaviour supportteam, people who work in the schooland neighbourhood);

f ) develop relationships through workand play;

i) prepare for change (for exampleorganising games with youngerchildren).


Session 6

Session 6


• Plan for wet playtimes.

• Address any worries the Playleaders may have and what they are looking forward to.

Playleader Training – Session Six


Welcome andgreeting


Round ‘Something I have enjoyed this weekis .............’


Open forum

How can a Playleadersupport at wetplaytime?

Remind the group of the rules of ‘openforum’. Discuss possible ways that thePlayleaders could support pupilsduring wet playtime. Agree their role.Record the agreed role of a Playleaderduring wet playtime. Ensure that thereare wet playtime rules in eachclassroom.


Activity

Choosing someactivities for wetplaytimes andteaching them toother people.

The Playleaders get into small groupswith an adult facilitator for each group.One person in each group suggests agame that could be played in theclassroom safely, during a wetplaytime. They can teach the rest oftheir group to play the game. ThePlayleaders need to think about theway they are explaining the game,including the rules, and make surethat it is clear to everyone.

The whole group then comes backtogether and each group shares theirgame through role-play.

15 minutes



Game

Sammy Sharp Eyes.

The group sits in a circle. Twovolunteers stand in the middle, one ofwho has agreed to be ‘Sammy sharpeyes’. ‘Sammy’ looks at the othervolunteer very carefully, taking in asmany details about the way they lookas possible. ‘Sammy’ then leaves theroom. The other pupil then changessomething about the way they look, forexample, turn their cardigan inside out,or push their socks down. The groupcan give ideas to the person in themiddle. The whole group then chants‘come back Sammy sharp eyes’. Sammyreturns and looks at the pupil standingin the middle and tries to notice whatis different. If successful, each playerchooses someone to replace him orher.

The group should be encouraged toremain quiet while the two pupils arelooking at each other. Also when‘Sammy’ returns the group should bereminded not to give clues at first. If itbecomes too difficult for ‘Sammy’ toguess the change, he or she can askindividual pupils for clues in the formof ‘hot or cold’.

Activity

I am worried about.......

Each Playleader is given a piece ofpaper and invited to write down aworry they may have about being aPlayleader. These are then put into acontainer. The container is then passedaround and each Playleader pulls outa piece of paper and reads out the‘worry’. The whole group then ‘problemsolves’.

Paper, pens and acontainer.

15 minutes

Round

‘Something I amlooking forward towhen I am aPlayleader is .........’

Pass the talking object around andwhen it reaches them, they sharesomething they are looking forward toin their role as a Playleader.

5 minutes



Game – Pass thesqueeze

Children sit in a circle and place theirright hand on the shoulder of the childon their right. The adult models howto gently squeeze the shoulder justenough to make them ‘smile’. Thechildren then follow one after anotherand until the squeeze returns to theadult. If successful they can play thiswith their eyes shut.

3/5 minutes

End of session Summarise and agree a date when thePlayleaders will meet the designatedadult to share any difficulties andsuccesses.



Speaking

1. To speak with confidence in a range ofcontexts, adapting their speech for arange of purposes and audiences, pupilsneed to be taught to:


d) show clear shape and organisationwith an introduction and an ending;


Listening




c) recall and re-present importantfeatures of an argument throughtalking;








e) take up and sustain different roles,adapting them to suit the situation;


Breadth of study

Speaking

The range should include:

g) extended speaking for differentpurposes.

Listening

The range should include:

h) others in groups.







a) to talk about their opinions and explaintheir views, on issues that affectthemselves and society.




a) to realise the consequences of anti-social and aggressive behaviours,such as racism, on individuals andcommunities.


1. During this key state, pupils should betaught knowledge, skills andunderstanding through opportunities to:



example, people who contribute tosociety in a positive way, such asmembers of the behaviour supportteam, people who work in the schooland neighbourhood);



Phase 3

Phase 3


Post Training

When the training is completed, agraduation ceremony/assembly can takeplace to celebrate and recognise the role ofthe Playleaders. This formally acknowledgesthe end of the training process and informsthe rest of the pupils who the Playleadersare. Parents, governors and/or the press canbe invited and Playleaders presented withcertificates.

Once the Playleaders have graduated, atimetable or rota for ‘duties’ should bedrawn up. The Playleaders are not expectedto be on duty every playtime, but could beencouraged to ‘cover’ when those on dutyare away from school.

The designated adult should teach newgames to the Playleaders on a regular basis.A new ‘game of the week’ could be shownin assembly by the Playleaders during aregular slot.

The designated adult should also draw up atimetable of sessions to meet with thePlayleaders to problem solve and celebratetheir successes. Initially this may need to befairly frequent to ensure they are supportedand maintain interest in the role.

When the Playleader programme has beenin place for approximately half a term thequestionnaire can be repeated and theeffects of the scheme evaluated.(Appendix C)

Depending on the findings, a number ofactions may be needed, such as celebratingsuccess and congratulating the Playleaders,or, at the opposite extreme, providing somefurther training.

Phase Three

Appendices

Appendices

Appendix A

Appendix A


Environmental factors that need to be in place to support thePlayleader Scheme

In ActionPlace Needed

• Whole school behaviour policy with a positive approach to themanagement of pupils’ behaviour based on negotiated rights, rulesand responsibilities.

• Clear enforceable playground rules that are known to all pupils.

• A reward system.

• Mid-day assistants who have been trained in and use positivebehaviour management and are informed about the Playleaders’ role.

• A playground environment which is pleasant to be in, for examplethere is appropriate playground equipment and/or toys/marking,shade in the summer and shelter in the winter.

• Pupils identified as having difficulties with social interaction haveplayground targets in their individual education plans, and theseare planned for and support appropriately.

Appendix B

Appendix B


Playtime Questionnaire

Date

I am a Girl Boy Year Group

1. Do you enjoy playtime? Yes No

2. Say whether you agree or disagree with the following:

Children fight/argue in the playground agree disagree

Children play games together in the playground agree disagree

Children seem happy and enjoy playtime agree disagree

People use the rules in the playground agree disagree

People help each other out in the playground agree disagree

Is there anything else you would like to say about playtimes?

Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

Appendix C

Appendix C

Playleader’s CardFollow these simpleinstructions to make up youplayleader card.

Fig. 1 Photocopy or print out yourplayleader’s card

Fig. 3 Fold in half again to make yourplayleader card

Fig. 2 Fold in half with all the words andpictures on the outside

Fig. 4 Stick your photograph on the frontand fill all your details. You arenow a playleader

Insert yourphoto here

Playleader

Name:

Class:

Speciality:

Playleadersat (insert school name)

say...

This sentence/slogan needs to becompleted by playleaders duringtraining

A Playleader can:

• organise and playgames with others

• support children whoare lonely

• help problem solve

• model using the schoolrules

Nominated adult to initiala box each time a sessionis completed.

Appendix D

Appendix D

Animal, Vegetable or Mineral

1 Players stand in a circle with one player in the middle with aball.

2 The player in the middle throws the ball to another player at thesame time calling out in a loud voice either “animal” or“vegetable” or “mineral” and then counting to ten.

3 The player catching the ball has to name something of thecategory called out (as well as catching the ball) before theperson in the middle has reached the number ten.

Ball Against the Wall

1 Throw and catch.

2 Throw under leg against the wall.

3 Throw, roll your hands and catch.

4 Throw, clap and catch.

5 Throw and catch with the left hand.

6 Throw and catch with right hand.

Hot Tip: Try seeing how fast you can get with these six throws.

You could change this game by bouncing the ball on the groundinstead of the wall.

Can you beat your best number?

Throw the ballagainst a wallonce in each ofthe followingways:

Cat and Mouse

1 The players stand in lines of four or five facing the caller,holding their arms out so that they just touch each other.

2 Two more players are needed to be the cat and mouse.

3 The cat chases the mouse through the players, but is notallowed to run under the players arms.

4 When the caller shouts “change” the players turn 90 degreesclockwise, still holding their arms out.

5 The caller continues to shout change when they want the playersto turn. This makes it more difficult for the cat to catch themouse.

6 When the mouse has been caught the cat and mouse changeplaces with two other players.

Crusts and Crumbs

1 Players split into two groups, one becomes the 'crusts’ and theother becomes the ‘crumbs’.

2 Each group stands a few feet away from each other.

3 One person who is not in the game either shouts out “crusts” or“crumbs”. If she/he calls “crusts”, then the crusts chase thecrumbs. Those who are caught before getting to a ‘safe place’join the other side.

4 The caller then calls again, either crusts or crumbs.

5 This continues until one person is left, they then become thecaller.

This gametakes a lot ofconcentration atfirst.

Fruit Bowl

1 All players form a circle.

2 One player is selected to stand in the middle of the circle andselects different types of fruit (e.g. apple, pear, banana).

3 The player then points to each player in the circle and namesthem after the fruits.

4 The player in the centre of the circle then calls out a fruit, theplayers who have been given that particular fruit have to runaround the circle, returning to their original spot.

5 The player in the centre can also call out ‘fruit bowl’ to which allplayers have to run in a circle.

6 The centre player the then has to watch for the person who islast to arrive at their space.

7 The player who returns to their place last, sits down andremains there until the game is over.

8 The object of the game is to have one player left who thenbecomes the player in the middle of the circle.

Ladders

1 Choose one person to be the caller.

2 Choose two teams of equal numbers.

3 Each team sits on the floor opposite, feet touching a member ofthe other team’s feet in a line.

4 Each pair (one from each team) is given a number 1-2 etc.

5 The caller then calls out a number. The two children who arethat number jump up, move down the line moving in betweenall the other pairs (climb the ladder) until they return to theirplace.

6 The first child to sit in their original place wins a point for theirteam.

Letters

1 The caller stands at the front facing the rest of the players whoneed to stand in a line roughly 5 to 8 metres away.

2 The caller calls out letters of the alphabet.

3 If that letter is in a player’s name they take one step forward.

4 The first person to reach the caller becomes the new caller forthe next game.

Mr Bear

1 Players sit in a circle with one player in the middle.

2 This player is ‘Mr. Bear’, Mr. Bear has a small object, such as abean bag.

3 ‘Mr. Bear’ closes his eyes and places the object behind him.

4 A chosen player enters the circle, quietly removes the object andreturns to their place.

5 The circle all say ‘Mr. Bear, Mr. Bear your honey isn’t there!’

6 ‘Mr. Bear’ tries to guess who is hiding the honey.

7 Mr. Bear has 3 guesses.

8 If he guesses correctly he gets another go.

9 If not, the person who has the ‘honey’ becomes Mr. Bear.

What’s the Time Mr. Wolf?

1 One person (mr./Mrs. Wolf ) stands on one side whilst the otherplayers line up opposite.

2 The players call out, “What’s the time Mr./Mrs. Wolf?”

3 The player at the front calls out different times and the playersstep forward once for each hour. e.g. 4 o’clock – players stepforward 4 times.

4 This is repeated until the Wolf calls out “dinner time!”

5 The players run back to the starting line as fast as they can. TheWolf chases the other players and catches one, who is then theWolf.

May I?

1 One player stand on one side of the playground and the rest ofthe players stand about 7 to 10 metres away.

2 The object of the game is to be the first player to gently touchthe player in front.

3 Players can only move forward one at a time according to theinstructions that are given by the player at the front.

4 When they are given an instruction they have to say “May I?”before they do so. If they forget then they go back to thebeginning.

5 Examples of instructions:-Giant step large stepBanana step slide forward with one foot as far as it will go

then draw the other foot back up to itLamppost dry weather only – lay down on the floor from

where you are standing, stretch out your armsand the person in the front marks where your“lamppost” ends

Bob jump a big jump from a crouching positionBunny rabbit a hop with both feet togetherPigeon step put one foot in front of the other, heel in front

of toes.

Pig in the Middle – for three people

1 Two players stand about 10 paces apart, with the third player inbetween them.

2 The first two players throw/bounce/roll the ball to each other(not too high) whilst player number three tries to catch it.

3 When player 3 catches the ball, they swap places with the lastperson to throw.

Polo

1 Players line up, with one player opposite the line about 4metres away.

2 The player standing on their own chooses a category. This couldbe anything from types of trainers, pop stars to fruits; it is theperson’s choice.

3 Without telling anyone, all of the other players think ofsomething in the chosen category, e.g. if the category is fruit,someone may choose to be cherries.

4 The person at the front calls out guesses of what the othersmay be, they can guess as many times as they wish.

5 When the player at the front calls out a correct guess, the othersrun across and get past the caller.

6 If the runner is caught, then they become the caller.

7 If the callers shouts out ‘Polo’ then everyone runs across.

Pop Stars

1 The caller goes to one side of an area and the other players lineup facing the first player (about 9 metres away).

2 The first player calls out the initials of a pop star (or T.V. star,film star).

3 If a player thinks they know the answer they race to the callerand back again and then shout out the name.

4 If the player is right then they swap places and select the nextset of initials.

5 If the players cannot guess then clues could be given.

Queenie, Queenie

1 The person selected to be Queenie, stands with their back tothe rest of the players, Queenie then throws the ball over his/hershoulder, towards the rest of the players. Whoever catches theball, hides it on themselves. When the ball is hidden, theplayers say;

2 “Queenie, Queenie who’s got the ball?I haven’t got it, I haven’t got it, (putting up each hand).Stand at ease, bend your knees, touch the ground and turnaround.”

3 Queenie can have two guesses as to who is concealing the ball.She can also request the players to recite the rhyme once more.If Queenie guesses correctly the game continues, if she isincorrect, the person hiding the ball becomes Queenie.

Shirley/Sammy Sharp Eyes

1 All players sit in a circle. Two players are chosen to stand in themiddle. One is called “Shirley/Sammy Sharp Eyes”.

2 “Shirley/Sammy Sharp Eyes” studies the other players beforesitting back in the circle facing outwards with their hands overtheir eyes.

3 The other player removes/changes something about theirappearance.

4 When ready, the players in the circle call “Shirley/Sammy SharpEyes” to come back into the centre.

5 “Shirley/Sammy Sharp Eyes” tries to guess what the other playerhas changed/removed. If “Shirley/Sammy Sharp Eyes” guessescorrectly they can choose the next “Shirley/Sammy Sharp Eyes”.If they cannot guess, the other player gets to be the next“Shirley/Sammy Sharp Eyes”.

Skipping

1 Jelly on the plate, jelly on the plate, wibble, wobble, wibble,wobble, jelly on the plate.

2 Custard on a spoon, custard on a spoon, wibble, wobble,wibble, wobble custard on a spoon.

Skipping for one – Backwards

1 Start with the rope in front of your toes and swing the rope overyour head.

2 Skip just as it touches the ground by your heels.

Hot tip: Try to beat your personal best for the number ofskips you can do without stopping.

Hot skipping: Try skipping on one foot and then the other,getting faster as you go. How fast can you get?

You can recitethese whilstskipping, or tryto make upyour ownrhymes.

Spider

1 The person who is the ‘spider’ stands in the middle of the spiral.Everyone else stands at the outside end.

2 The ‘spider’ calls out a letter. If that letter is in the player’sname, then they take a step in the spiral for each time the letterappears.

3 When the ‘spider’ calls “spider’s coming” they chase the playersout of the spiral.

4 The first player caught becomes the ‘spider’.

This game isplayed on thespiral drawingon theplayground –this can bedrawn withchalk.

Sticky Lolly

1 The person who is the chaser stands in the middle of the circlewith their fingers out towards the other player.

2 Everyone gently takes hold of a finger and stretch out ready torun away (taking care not to pull the finger).

3 The chaser begins to tell a story starting “I went to the shopsand I bought some sticky.....” adding in for example ‘bread’.

4 When ‘sticky lolly’ is added into the sentence everyone runs.

5 If the chaser touches someone they then have to stand still withtheir arms outstretched until someone frees them by runningunder an arm.

6 The game begins again if the chaser manages to catch everyoneor when one of the players has been caught 3 times.

Pac Man

1 Choose a catcher (or 2 if there are more than 6 players).

2 Players must run ON the playground lines in any direction.

3 The catcher also runs on the playground lines and ‘catches’ theother players.

4 When a player is caught they must stand still on the line.

5 Players cannot run past a player who has been ‘caught’, theymust change direction.

6 The game finishes when the catcher has made all of the otherplayers stand still.

Appendix E

Appendix E

Special Educational Needsand Psychology Service

Behaviour Support Team

Can I play please?

1

How to Start a Game

2

1. Think of agame

3. Remember! Youmight need toexplain how to playyour game.

2. Ryan, wouldyou like to

play this gamewith me?

How to Join Someone Else’s Game

3

1. Stop and look

2. Find out whose game it is.Is this your game?

3. Smile, look at the leaderand say;

Remember! Not too close, nottoo far away.

Whosegame is

this?

Can I joinyour game?

If They Say ‘No’

4

• Stay calm

• Stay cool

• Remember to count to 10

or

• walk away

• find someone else to start a game with

• start your own game

• find another game

Play Fairly

6

• take turns

• let others have a go

• pick a leader using a choosing rhyme

Playing the Game

5

1. Things you could say

2. Watch out! The game can change.

How do Iplay?

What do I do?What shall I be?Whose side am I on?

Remember!When You Want to Play

1. Stop and think

2. Look who would be the best personto ask ‘Whose game is it?’

3. Stand in front of the person, (armslength away)

4. Smile

5. Use a quiet voice

6. Listen carefully to what they say

Stay calm and have fun!8

You Could Leave the Game If...

7

You could say...

• people start arguing• you’re not enjoying the game

I’m notplayinganymore

I want tostop playing

now

Appendix F

Appendix F

Proud

Excited Sad Happy

Bored Puzzled Embarrassed

Scared

Tired

Happy Shy

Sad

Bored Shocked

Jealous Angry

Upset

Scared

Bored Shy Worried

Proud

Embarrassed

Excited Scared

Happy

Appendix G

Appendix G

• Assertiveness is the ability to stand upfor what you believe to be right.

• Assertiveness is not about beingaggressive or intimidating.

• Assertiveness is about giving a clearmessage to others about what youwant.

Assertiveness Training

The assertive way is to....• Tell them to stop annoying you – “I don’t like it when you kick me and I want you to

stop now.”• Speak in a firm not angry voice.• Stand tall.• Make eye contact.• Stay in control of yourself.• Walk away (don’t run) from the situation and towards an adult if necessary.

The aggressive way is to....• Push, punch, trip or kick another person.• Call people names and use put downs.• Have a really aggressive expression on your face.• Shout and yell.• Swear.• Stand close to the person and act in a threatening manner.• Lose control of yourself.

The passive way is to....• Give in to others when you don’t want to.• Let other people continue to do bad things to you.• Talk quietly, mumble or speak hesitantly.• Look down at the ground when you are speaking.• Stand small, as if you are hiding.

Appendix H

Appendix H

Let’s solve the problemtogether

Name:

Date:

How are you feeling?

What’s the problem between us?

Why do you think it happened?

What rule was broken?

What can I do to make things better?

Who could I ask to help me?

How are you feeling now?

Appendix I

Appendix I

A He said my mum’s aprostitute. So I hit him.

B He hit me first, I didn’t doanything.























A I hit her because I am fed upwith my coat being kickedabout. My mum tells me off if itis in a mess. (Child B ran overyour coat).

B I was running past her whenshe hit me for no reason. (Youwere in a rush and may havetripped over a coat).















A She’s not my best friendanymore, because she’s ‘goneoff’ with Susan.

B I don’t know why she is beinghorrible. I haven’t doneanything to her.



















A I was queuing up to playnetball and she pushed in, so Itold her to go to the back.

B I was just standing in thequeue, waiting to play netballand that ‘bossy’ girl told me togo to the back.



















A He is spoiling our game of ‘he’.We’ve already got teams.

B They won’t let me play. I triedto join in.























A He picked up our football and‘went off’ with it.

B I took the ball because I wasplaying with it yesterday andI’m just finishing off my game.























References

References


Bishop, J.C. and Curtis, M. (2001) Play Today in the Primary School Playground.

Blount, L. and Szpakowski, J. (1999) Promoting Positive Behaviour: The Essex Approach.Chelmsford: Essex County Council.

Brewer, D. and Swain, H. (2000) Lunch Matters. Tamworth: NASEN.Buckingham: Open University Press.

Davies, J. (1989) Children’s Games. London: Piatkus.

Greenaway, K. (1987) Book of Games. London: Chancellor Press.

Milner, P. and Carolin, B. (2000) Time to Listen to Children. London: Routledge.

Mosley, J. (2001) More Quality Circle Time. Wisbech: LDA.

Pellegrini, D. and Blatchford, P. (2000) The Child at School. London: Arnold.

Sharp, S. and Smith, P.K. (1995) Tackling Bullying in Your School. London: Routledge.

Sher, B. (1995) Popular Games for Positive Play. Arizona: Therapy Skill Builders.

References and Recommended Reading

Documents

Improving Primary School Playtimes - Essex Local Offer · enjoy their playtime, they will invariably learn and achieve better than if playtime presents them with a degree of anxiety