The buddy system helping preps find their feet from day one

Eleven-year-old Eliette McLean dashes into a class of prep students settling into their first day to see a familiar face.

“Jasper,” she calls to a five-year-old boy who is colouring and sitting alone, moments after his parents dropped him off. Jasper’s face lights up as he recalls Eliette reading to him several months ago.

Since last year, an extension of the buddy system at Bentleigh West Primary School means that grade 4 students meet many of incoming preps at surrounding kindergartens before the youngsters even start school.

“It’s someone looking out for you that’s older,” Eliette proudly says of the role. “Buddies help you find your friends if you can’t find them.” Grade 5 pupils then buddy up with a prep for two years. In a few weeks, the children will have their first outing to the school canteen to buy an icy pole.

At 8.45am on Wednesday, the school yard is buzzing with excitement as principal Sarah Asome greets the families of the 110 children starting school this year. They’re among almost 79,000 preps starting at government schools in the coming days. “They’ve had an extensive transition program,” says Asome. “They’re more excited than nervous.”

Still, plans for day one were almost thwarted after builders hit a pipe and disconnected the school’s water several days ago. Plumbers raced to fix the issue on Tuesday, which meant Asome could call off a delivery of portaloos and bubblers. “Thank goodness,” she says with a laugh.

The school has seen a lift in results and behaviour under Asome, who 10 years ago brought in an explicit instruction approach that has since become the standard teaching model in all government schools. Results took several years to show; once they did, enrolments grew by about 100 students.

“We started in the space with students who were struggling and had dyslexia and learning difficulties, and then we realised quickly that we had to get instruction right for everybody,” Asome says. “The routines are the same. It’s predictability. We all like the same routines. It’s consistent model. There’s less time wasted and more time on task.”

Twins Olivia and Mia Rafferty were also among the preps. They’re looking forward to playing and drawing on their first day. “We already have friends from the park,” Olivia says.

Jasper, meanwhile, can’t wait to learn Italian – he’s picked up several words from his older sister, who is in grade 2 – and maths, which he says he “loves” after playing with number blocks.

“He’s been looking forward to it,” Jasper’s father, Callam Pickering, says. Seeing off his son is “the end of an era in some ways” as his family opens a new chapter with both their children now in school.

At 9.30am, the school yard goes quiet. “They’re all settled,” Asome says with a grin. Now the real work begins in their classrooms. “We’ll go straight into the routines.”

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