At St. Bede CE Primary School, Winchester, we actively participate in the Christian Aid’s Global Neighbour’s Scheme as a platform to further develop our children’s work as leaders for change against social and global injustices.

This accreditation opportunity which works from Bronze Level to Gold Level will support and recognise the important work we already do as a school in ‘courageous advocacy’ and as we move up through the levels it will help shape future ideas and projects that the children will embrace as “leaders for change” in the hope to establishing sustainable differences. 

For example, the work the children have already completed as “leaders for change” by providing playground resources that the children can use as part of our work with the Shyogwe Diocese Schools in Rwanda; the fundraising efforts to support the “Send a Cow” project which focuses on training and ensuring families have the skills they need to grow food and earn an income in Rwanda; the collection of Christmas present shoeboxes for the Rotary Association to allow them to distribute these to less fortunate children across Europe at Christmas time, the eco-bricks of plastic collected as part of the  “Is plastic fantastic? – Make a sustainable difference!” project, the collection of appropriate items at Harvest time to help support and make a difference to the Winchester Nightshelter charity and many more…     

Embedded in our school’s ethos and values, we actively support our children in working towards a more fair, just, and happy world.  This approach is also supported by Christian Aid who advocate the ethos of ‘in the light of the faith we hold’ and that ‘schools provide a much-needed safe space in which children can begin to make sense of the world they are encountering’ and that social global citizenship and courageous advocacy:

• broadens the horizons of the minds
• provides real-life contexts for learning and opportunities for pupils to explore topical issues
• cultivates the essential skills and values (from empathy to self-awareness and respect for all people) that prepare pupils for living well with their fellow human beings
• contributes to improved outcomes across the curriculum and in pupils’ personal development, through enhanced skills in critical and creative thinking, reasoning and communication.

As a school, we are very proud of the work that we have already completed linked to ‘Courageous Advocacy’ and ‘Global Citizenship’ which has been highlighted above, because they both show the school’s commitment and embedded ethos to allow our pupils to explore and challenge injustice and then become leaders who look for and establish transformational change in ourselves as individuals and with the relationship dynamics in our local, wider and global communities.

By working in this way, we are proud to say that our children will continue to grow together and continue to be “leaders for change” supported and grounded by our values of love, peace, courage, trust and friendship.