Courageous Advocacy
We are courageous advocates!
Driven by our aim for our children to ‘Let your light shine’, staff encourage the children to become ‘agents of change’, championing causes which are especially meaningful for the children themselves.
Our children are encouraged to be outspoken about injustice when they find it and to question 'Why?' and 'What can we do to make a change for the better?'
Staff equip the children with skills to research, discuss, challenge, confidently voice their views and opinions, convince others to support their cause, and to become active citizens now and for the future. Children talk passionately about the actions they take and the impact it has on others as well as themselves.
To support this, we have a weekly Big Questions Collective Worship session in which the children learn about local and global issues, using Picture News as a basis for discussions. These sessions have led to children's developing awareness of a range of issues and to them actively campaigning for improvements. For example, some Key Stage 2 children demanded that we don’t waste water and use barrels to collect rain water for gardening.
Class 1 children were inspired to plan and lead Collective Worship about Diversity and shared their ideas.
We advocate standing up for what we believe and our Christian Values ensure that we all have opportunities to discuss big issues, to challenge injustice and to engage in activities that can bring about change.
Being a courageous advocate is about supporting, defending or speaking out on behalf of others; arguing for, or supporting a cause. We actively support charities and organisations that make a difference, and are passionate about many.
Awareness Days and Fundraising
Each academic year, children and adults across our school enthusiastically participate with, and contribute towards, a wide range of charities (locally, nationally and globally) and awareness days. Many of our charity work supports organisations suggested by the children. These include:
The Olive Branch Foodbank, Lancaster
RNLI
Christmas Operation Shoebox Appeal
Macmillan
Comic Relief-Red Nose Day
Sports Relief
Children in Need
St John’s Hospice
Fairtrade
Christian Aid
Refugee Week
Save the Children – Christmas Jumper Day
The Royal British Legion
Global Goals
In 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals. These goals aim to create a better world by 2030, by ending poverty, fighting inequality and addressing the urgency of climate change. These goals form a basis for many of the courageous advocacy opportunities which link to our curriculum.
Opportunities may be amended or moved to alternative times during the school year to enable staff to be responsive to current issues which arise locally or across the world. Topics and themes are revisited as children move through the school, to build on learning and develop deeper understanding in an age-appropriate way.
The goals are:
Many of our lessons have strong links with the Global Goals. Sometimes our collective worship is linked to them. They also inform our charity work and how we behave.
From citizenship and justice to climate change and the environment, we are inspired to make a difference!
Several organisations provide resources and projects to support with social action. Possible resources linked to each topic are also referenced in italics where relevant. The referenced resources can be found on the websites below:
World’s Largest Lesson (Global Goals): https://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org
Practical Action: https://practicalaction.org
British Council: https://connecting-classrooms.british.council.org
(a range of climate resources available in addition to those referenced on the planning overview)
Action Aid: https://actionaid.org.uk
Kids Go Global: www.kidsgoglobal.net
Earth Cubs: https://earthcubs.com (to access resources, a free account must be registered)