Parents and schools have a significant influence on the development of young people, but so do their peers. The Education Council believes that when seeking to prevent problems and when finding solutions, schools and teachers could make much more use of the knowledge and network of young people.
14 July 2005
Group pupils together better
Schools need to think more about the way they group pupils together, both at school and outside school. This could include grouping pupils from different ethnic or social background together in a class or project group, for example, or by organising extra-curricular activities. In the teaching process, teachers should also consider more effective grouping and think about ways of teaching to encourage cooperation. This will teach young people to work better together and to utilise each other's talents.
Adopt the British ‘house system'
Schools could take the British house system as a source of inspiration for creating the right atmosphere and culture at schools. In this system, pupils of differing ages, from differing social classes and differing backgrounds are grouped into ‘houses'. Each house has its own name and logo and tries to be better than the other houses. In sporting or cultural competitions, pupils can score points for their house and win prizes at the end of the school year. This also teaches them to talk to each other about undesirable conduct.
Strengthen contact with young people
Before they can form the right groups, schools need to get to know the ‘person behind the pupil'. They therefore need to improve their knowledge of their children's world: the language they speak, their clothing, their behaviour, and their digital world. Once schools know what is going on, they can use this information to group their pupils accordingly.