Introducing Our New Primary Playground Buddies!

St Matthew Academy is delighted to introduce our brand-new Primary Playground Buddies for the school year!

This year, 10 dedicated pupils from Year 5 have stepped forward and volunteered to take on this important leadership role. Working together as a team during lunchtimes, our Buddies will be on hand to offer support, reassurance, and encouragement to any pupils who might be feeling lonely, unsure, or simply in need of a friendly face.

Building Essential Skills

To ensure they are fully equipped for their new responsibilities, our Playground Buddies will undergo specialized training over the next few weeks. Through these sessions, they will develop key skills in:

• Positive Communication: Learning active listening and how to speak with kindness and empathy.

• Fair Play: Encouraging inclusive games and sportsmanship across all year groups.

• Problem-Solving: Helping peers navigate minor playground disagreements calmly and constructively.

These valuable tools will empower our Year 5s to support their schoolmates kindly and confidently every single day.

Look Out for the Blue Vests

Spotting a Playground Buddy on the field or court will be easy, they will be proudly wearing bright blue high-visibility vests with "Playground Buddy" clearly displayed across the back.

We are incredibly proud of our Year 5 pupils for stepping up to demonstrate such compassion, leadership, and service. We look forward to seeing the wonderful, positive impact they will make on playtimes across our entire primary phase!