What made you want to become pastoral prefects?

Woody – I’d been at the school for years and being able to give back to the school in a meaningful way was definitely a big part of wanting to be a pastoral prefect. I was able to help people with the experiences I’d had and understand what problems they might be facing.

Daya – Like Woody says, we’ve been through these experiences ourselves, so you do feel better equipped to help someone. I’ve been in a situation in the past where somebody has helped me and without that it would have been really difficult. School is challenging, especially with COVID, so alleviating some of the stress for someone else has been a big reason for me wanting to be a pastoral prefect.

What training did you undertake?

Woody – We had a starter session with the school counsellor, Jo, and Mr McOwen, our Head of Year, where we went through some scenarios and what we would say and do. Later we went on a mental health first aid course which ran through not only what to do in situations but also some exercises on how to get people to open up and sort their problems into priorities.

Daya – We had a few different situations, such as where something is going on outside of school in a family setting. It was often centered around approaching the situation with empathy and knowing when to take it to someone more senior. We both mentor students, so we were also given training from our Heads of Year on what kind of issues we might encounter, how to spark up a conversation and what topics to avoid.

What’s it like mentoring students?

Daya – The mentees were mostly referred from Heads of Year or if Jo thought it would be beneficial for them to come to us. I’m a Year 8 pastoral prefect so my support was centered around the same kind of issues most younger secondary school students face, especially with lockdown and COVID. It’s really important that you keep their confidentiality and that whoever you’re mentoring knows that their concerns are going to be in safe hands.

Woody – I’m a Year 9 pastoral prefect so they have similar issues about friendships and fitting in. It’s mostly about helping them figure out what’s most important in their minds and suggesting how they might want to prioritise things.

What affect has the COVID pandemic had on young people?

Woody – Even people who are good at dealing with pressure have struggled as a result of COVID. Not everyone wants to sit on their Xbox chatting away or have all their school interactions done online, so there are a set of problems which come with it. People can feel really left out and it can have a massive impact on their mental health.

Daya – I think academic pressure has definitely intensified as online learning is different to learning in person and that inevitably causes more stress. It’s something we’ve looked at in our prefect training. There’s also been a ‘fitting in’ issue for Year 8s. If you think about it, they’d only enjoyed half a year at school before they were home learning. It’s been hard for a few students.

What are the benefits of peer-to-peer support?

Woody – Talking to parents or teachers isn’t always easy, it can be uncomfortable, and they might not understand the issues they’re facing. Some people find they don’t have anyone at all they can talk to. Being able to talk to someone like a pastoral prefect is massive, even if they’re not talking about anything deep, they know we’re here.

Daya – We can address many of the issues that they raise because we’ve had similar experiences and we can easily relate to them. You tend to look up to your parents or teachers as they’re more senior and it’s not the same relationship as student to student. I like to think they’re a bit more willing to open up to us.

What does the role involve?

Daya – We usually meet with whoever we’re mentoring every week and after every session we send a feedback form to the school counsellor and check in with our Heads of Year every three weeks. When school life is more normal, we can be taking part in the Board Game Society in the Learning Link and there are lots of different activities for anyone who doesn’t want to be on their own and wants to join in on a lunchtime.

Woody – We also lead a lot of assemblies. We’ve done ones on bullying and Internet safety; #HelloYellow to raise awareness about mental health issues; respectful relationships and gender equality, and one on our tips for looking after your mental health.

How important is it to have pastoral prefects?

Woody – It’s definitely a worthwhile thing. Even if only a few people in our year group come to see us, the students know we’re here for them. It’s a safe place for them to go that’s less formal.

Daya – It’s something that a lot of schools should be doing. The topic of mental health is becoming less taboo, especially among young people, and they’re beginning to notice more if they need to get help. Having a pastoral prefect is important so people know there’s someone to go to who they’re comfortable talking with.