Page 15 - New Year Refresher 2021

2. Feeling important, having status and being noticed in positive ways:

Some suggestions for addressing this unmet need
if the young person cannot come up with anything:

▪ Ensure there are opportunities for all children
to feel a sense of status and importance, ideally in

ways which use different strengths. Too often, the
status for Ambassadors, School Council reps and
Peer Mentors are held by children who already have

lots of support at home and already feel pretty capable, connected and that they count.
▪ Responsibility within the school – looking at some specific responsibilities the young
person may enjoy which utilise the child’s strengths in ways that will give them status –

e.g. teaching dance to younger children. If in Year 7, they can go and support in primary;
if in KS2 they can support in KS1 etc.
VERY IMPORTANT: When supporting younger children, we believe their role should be
very clear and specific. They should have a set of goals they are helping the younger

child/ren to achieve and assessment sheets to complete when they are sure the children
they are supporting has achieved. It could be they collect evidence of the younger child’s
progress – anything which makes the goal clear and explicit.

It doesn’t work so well (or release the same Feel Good Chemicals’) if their role is vague
and they just ‘help out’ – this can just make them feel like a spare part, be less engaged
or feel they just aren’t capable enough to do the things their peers do.

▪ A role within the school to help them feel a useful and needed part of the school
community e.g. a regular slot in the school office answering the telephone, paper
shredding, organising registers or greeting people; in assemblies organising the music;

with the medical team training as a Junior First Aider and supporting in the medical
room at a couple of breaks each week; those with good motor skills and visual spatial
reasoning supporting the premises manager with simple tasks; in catering helping with
tasks – even if only helping to write up the menu and serve lunches but ideally having a

role in the kitchen itself for even a couple of half hour slots a week; in areas relating to
physical / motor strengths – as a Young PE Coach, supporting in clubs for younger
children or being in charge of PE resources; making the most of social/emotional skills by

being trained to become a playground mentor; mental health / friendship buddy.
▪ The roles young people can support with in school are manifold and many - finding a
responsibility and role which links with their strengths and interests is the key.

▪ Supporting schools to develop comprehensive Pupil Leadership structures which utilise
strengths from verbal, physical, visual/spatial to social emotional ensure all young
people gain a sense of purpose and belonging will make a huge difference to our most

vulnerable pupils.