At Reservoir West Primary School, student leadership is a valuable opportunity for students to develop their skills in being leaders, organisers and active members of their community. Through the many student leadership roles, students have the opportunity to contribute to decision-making within the school and take on responsibilities for a variety of school activities.

In preparation for Leadership roles students are rostered to be responsible for a variety of tasks around the school. These begin in the lower year levels with students being responsible monitors for such things as the Office, Library and Lunch Order Tubs.  During Years 3 and 4 students begin to take a more active role by being responsible running Lunch Clubs, the Wellbeing Hub and being a part of the Student Representative Council. Years 5 & 6 children take on the responsibilities of the organising assemblies, making announcement, putting out the bins, collecting the recycling and locking/unlocking the school gates.

School Captains

Many students strive to become our Year 6 School Captains. It is a highly respected role, that the students take pride in. We appoint two School Captains and two School Vice Captains. The School Captains assist on school tours, organise run school assemblies and generally provide support for the office staff and Principal Class.

Other Year 6 Leadership roles

As well as the School Captains and Vice-Captains there are the following Year 6 Leadership roles:

• Sports Leaders
• Environment Leaders
• Digital Technologies Leaders
• The Arts Leaders
• Wellbeing Leaders
• Peer Mediation Leaders

Student Representative Council

Representatives from all Senior School classes are elected by their classmates to be part of the SRC.

Peer Mediation

The Peer Mediation Training Program teaches Year 5/6 students to help resolve minor conflict. Mediation opens up communication channels enabling students who are having a disagreement to discuss their problems and come to a resolution with the guidance of a trained Year 6 School Leader. Yard duty teachers and our Student Wellbeing Leaders support Peer Mediators in their role.

At the end of Semester 1, Year 5 students are invited to express their interest in writing as to why they would like to be a Peer Mediator. Approximately thirty Year 5 students attend a full day training session with Stride Education and Rebekah. In the Peer Mediation training, they learn about body language, active listening and clarifying, respecting points of view, empathy, asking open ended questions and brainstorming ideas. They also learn how to assist in finding solutions to low level conflict like name calling, misunderstandings around rules of a game, arguments and friendship issues.

After completing the training, the Year 5 Peer Mediators begin Peer Mediation from Semester 2 and continue into Semester 1 of the following year as Year 6 students. This experience teaches them inter-personal skills and negotiation strategies, including leadership skills.

Peer Mediation can assist in the prevention of unfair play, exclusion, teasing and bullying in the school yard. Peer Mediation is an opportunity for our senior students to become true leaders within the school and as such positive role models to younger members of RWPS. Students who choose to participate in this program, do so on a voluntary basis, thus putting their ‘student voice and agency’ to practice.