Students at Paparore School have jumped on board the Physical Activity Leaders (PALs) leadership programme and taken lunchtime to the next level.  
 
Thanks to the dedicated and enthusiastic team of Year 5-6 leaders who put their hand up for the leadership role in their school, play, games and activities for their peers to enjoy at lunchtime are now offered, keeping everyone active and engaged during lunch breaks.
 
This group has a zest for fun, creativity, play, and teamwork which they use alongside their already impressive skill base to organise fun, relevant games and activities across a whole range of ages and spaces for their peers.

  
Sounds like a lot of fun, doesn’t it!  

 
Through the PALs programme, students are learning valuable skills such as planning and organisation while also promoting their love for play and physical activity. The PALs have been busy getting into action since term 2 back in 2024, learning how to plan, organise and deliver to their peers and since then have been well underway in uniting students across the school, which also fosters many aspects of their school values and spirit.  
 
“I like that a whole lot of kids come with smiles on their faces asking to join in, and it makes me so happy that they want to play, and we have heaps of fun!” says one of the students, Indi.

The PALS have been reflective and participated in evaluating their activities, which is also part of the programme, and they aim to ensure that their games are safe and fun for everyone. This unity and confidence in leadership has seen the PALs inventing their own games or modifying other games with their own creative flair to suit the needs at their peers. This initiative has created intentional, positive play spaces.  

“We’ve learnt a lot about how to plan and organise activities that will get everyone involved pretty quickly. When games either worked or needed changing up, we would talk about that and give something else a try” said Nathanael, a PAL leader. 

The games planned for the week are shared throughout the school in several ways which demonstrates the PALs dedication and ongoing interest. Sharing which activities will run on which day has included designing posters, posting on the school noticeboard, short videos, and presentations at school assemblies.

 
At the start of the programme the PALs relied mostly on creating eye-catching A3 posters to explain the rules and objectives of their games and visiting the different classes. This has given them further confidence in setting up and demonstrating the planned game. The PALs do this in their own time, using their own initiative. It is a student-led kaupapa and it is fantastic to see such positive contributions coming through from the PALs with support from their teachers.

 
“I enjoy teaching the other kid’s skills and games because then they can teach others” says Sophia, a PAL leader.

The teachers have been instrumental in supporting these leaders and valuing the job they do. Getting in behind them and being a support base when needed, while allowing it to be largely student led. Jade Wikitera, Year 4/5 teacher and HPE lead for 2025 has been a big pillar of support through communication and guidance to ensure that the PALs are set up for success. At times, this has meant conversations around finding time to further their development of games, having the necessary equipment, and sorting the sports shed equipment. The PALs are very resourceful and improvise where they can.  
 
The immense support has created positivity throughout the school towards these leaders and resulted in the school coming together to get t-shirts made for them, alongside the use of a handy whistle which helps them manage their activities more effectively.  
 
“This has been an incredible journey for our PALs,” says Jade who goes onto explain “the students have shown such enthusiasm, motivation, and self-direction in running PALs at our kura. It has been great to have the support of our Tumuaki John—aka Sir—who has encouraged and supported this kaupapa, along with our staff and, of course, Ebony from Sport Northland, who continues to provide ongoing training and support for our PALs. Our PALs are innovative and creative thinkers, always looking for ways to improve and diversify this kaupapa for our kura.”

“It’s cool to teach little and older kids new games. I have learnt that they behave better during some games more than others,” says Te Reinga, a PAL leader.

The PALS are allocated a short time before lunch to set up their game in time for the bell so that the games can start once the students have finished their lunch.  “We’re so proud of how the PALs have taken on this responsibility and how they’re bringing the school together. It’s been fantastic seeing the student-led learning in this, watching them develop new skills and create such an energetic, positive atmosphere during lunch,” says Debbie Thompson initial HPE lead teacher involved in the start of the programme. “The duty teachers didn’t know what to do, the students were all so involved in play.”   

 
The PALs are excited to continue growing their leadership skills by bringing even more fun and active opportunities to the wider school community. They are participating in a PALs leadership day held for Year 1 & 2 students this term and it’s a credit to them to put their hand up to do this. “It will be cool to talk to other PALs from other schools to see if we relate to them and we can learn off each other, talk about what games we play and what are their most popular games,” says Te Reinga, a PAL leader. 

 
Paparore School’s PALs programme is a shining example of how students can lead and create positive impacts on their peers. Working in with their school values plus the tuakana/teina relationship fosters a love for physical activity and learning lifelong valuable skills from each other, that will last long after the games are over.  

Article written by Ebony Paaka, Healthy Active Learning School Connector