During Term One Roydvale Primary School was asked by their local families and whanau if there was an opportunity for some of their tamariki to learn to play chess at school. By teaming up with the Waimairi-iri Community of Learning and some keen senior students from Burnside High School, we have been able to make the chess teaching and learning days happen. 

On three separate Wednesday afternoons, a group of senior Burnside High School students  traveled to Roydvale Primary School to meet up with a group of  excitable and enthusiastic  students all willing to listen and learn to what their "buddy" students had to teach them. Some students already knew how to play, others had never played before.  Tamariki were engaged and asked some fabulous tactical questions of the seniors.  Some even bet some of our most well-versed players!

It was a fantastic opportunity for the Roydvale Primary School students and the Burnside High School students to all work alongside each other, and a wonderful display of inclusive education in our schools. The senior students all loved teaching the younger students and felt like they had provided a valuable learning opportunity to any student that was interested in chess. They all said that they were impressed with how the younger tamariki took instruction and really had a genuine passion for playing chess.  In the future we would love to set up an inter-school chess tournament to involve more of the tamariki in the Waimairi-iri Community of Learning. 

Thank you to all the staff and students involved in the Chess programme.