Two pupils from S5 and four from S6 spent two days out of school participating in a leadership course facilitated by Nick Smith from Xpand. These pupils have almost completed an SQA Leadership In Practice course where they had to organise an event such as the Christmas ceilidh or fund raising events for the sailing trip. There were also three trainee outdoor instructors from Benmore outdoor centre on the course as well as David the school language assistant which gave the added challenge to our pupils of interacting with people in a team they were not familiar with.

The two day course was a mixture of indoor class work at Uig Hall where the pupils worked on DISC behavioural profiling which has a purpose of helping you to understand yourselves and other people better, leading to improved team leadership and participation. The class work also explored social competence within the realm of team development; this culminated in the development of a team codex where the pupils set down what good teams should look like in practice. The outdoor work consisted of a variety of game with meanings that provided challenges not only physically and mentally but also to their communication skills.

Here are some quotes from pupils who attended the course:

“I learnt a lot about myself and how teams work. The course has also encouraged me undertake leadership and team working roles in the future. On top of the skills I have gained I also had loads of fun and met new people.” Michaela Stokoe

“I feel that I got a lot more from the course that I expected I would have. I learned about myself as a leader and team member and how I cooperate with other people through this knowledge I can work better with people in all aspects of my life as I now understand my strengths and so can apply them to any social situation. “ Harriet Gray

“The course helped me to understand more about my own personality, weaknesses and strengths and how they affect my tactics and style as a leader. This has helped me to identify the areas in which I need to improve or make adjustments in order to be more effective. I also found it very useful to make a team code of conduct as it highlighted standards and expectations that may help me to bring my team together as a unit rather than individuals.” Alasdhair McBride

Mr McCready who was the accompanying teacher said, “I was very proud of what we as a staff have done in partnership with the pupils and parents to produce such talented individuals with significant potential, who were an absolute credit to themselves and the school”