Social Action
Intent
Our school vision aims to open children’s eyes to the world in which they live and enable children to “be confident that their contributions can make a difference”. At Roundhay St. John’s we feel passionately about social action and empowering our children to make changes, be that in their homes, communities or on a larger scale. Throughout their time at our school, pupils are encouraged to fundraise, campaign and educate others about causes that interest and inspire them.
Participating in social action has been proven:
- to improve the oracy of children
- to develop team work and pride
- to give a sense of purpose to young people (research suggests that many children have struggled to find a purpose and have expressed feeling out of control since the beginning of the covid pandemic)
- to improve engagement in lessons and academic progress, as reported by the Education Endowment Fund (EEF)
Implementation
Each half term, a different year group will have the opportunity to embrace a social action topic which is closely linked to their learning. Children are encouraged to take ownership of their project and to educate the rest of the school about their cause. This may be through whole school worship, posters around school or requests to support particular events.
|
Half term |
Year group |
Social Action topic |
|
Autumn 1
|
Year 6 |
Trussell Trust |
|
Autumn 2
|
Year 1 |
Sylvia Wright |
|
Spring 1
|
Year 3 |
Fairtrade |
|
Spring 2
|
Year 4 |
Earth Day / Planet protectors |
|
Summer 1
|
Year 2 |
Christian Aid |
|
Summer 2
|
Year 5 |
Archbishop of York Youth Trust |
In addition, our Early Years children (Nursery and Reception) will reflect on ‘the world around us’ and focus on ways they can begin to make a difference e.g. tidying, caring for plants, and looking after each other.
Impact
The impact of our Social Action programme is evident both through the success of our fundraising activities and the increased empathy and understanding that our pupils show for others. Children at Roundhay St. John’s enjoy the opportunity to make a difference and report feeling ‘proud’ and ‘important’ whilst working on their projects.
