Oxford Area School’s 2023 Peer Support Programme has got off to a fantastic start supporting our Year 9 cohort.

At the end of 2022, several Year 11 and 12 students undertook a 2 day Peer Support training course to develop their leadership and mentoring skills. This allowed us to start the 2023 school year with nearly 20 Peer Support leaders!

Each week the Peer Support leaders are teamed up with a small group of Year 9 students and run various icebreaker and team-building activities that support Year 9s to navigate the start of their time in high school. Being halfway through the programme, it is clear that students are making connections not only with students in their year groups, but also the Year 12 and 13 students who are mentoring them weekly. The programme will continue through to the end of the term, allowing the Peer Support leaders to share their insights and experiences with the Year 9s as well as touch on subjects like peer pressure, communication, and friendships.