Pupils at St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School have been presented with a Bronze Award from Christian Aid’s Global Neighbours Scheme for their global citizenship work.
From creating bee gardens, sending water purifying materials to Morocco to toilet twinning, pupils and staff at this wonderful Crewekerne primary school have been working hard to take their place as compassionate global citizens.
St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School has achieved Bronze Award status in Christian Aid’s Global Neighbours scheme, in recognition of its initiatives to encourage children to think of others throughout the world.The accreditation programme celebrates schools which are helping pupils learn about global poverty and the Christian responsibility to tackle it, as well as giving them the tools to play a confident part in creating a fairer world.
Gemma Coward, Headteacher said: “We are thrilled to be recognised for the work we have done as a whole school community, led by David Woodley, to raise awareness of the extreme inequalities across our globe and perhaps more importantly, the steps we can take to address these. Our children learn about global issues regularly through the curriculum designed by staff to help our children value diversity and gain an understanding of injustice in our world and how they can make a difference.”
“Pupils have been learning about examples of people who faced adversity and overcame this to be courageous advocates for change. These stories have challenged the whole school community to think about how each of us can make a difference in our local community and globally. Key Stage 2 pupils have found their voice in raising their concerns over global deforestation, learnt in geography, with their MP.
“Our world is increasingly connected and our hope is for our children to grow as compassionate and respectful global citizens who care about issues such as the environment and access to healthcare. Our Reporters’ Club have especially enjoyed working to forge strong links between a school in Zambia learning about how our lives are interlinked. We are very proud of our school newspaper, The Barts Bulletin, which details all the work of our wonderful children.
Alison Brown, Global Neighbours Schools Programme Officer at Christian Aid, said: “The Global Neighbours Scheme was launched in partnership with the Church of England’s Education Office with a vision of helping young people understand more about the inequalities in this world and helping them to become courageous advocates for change.
“It’s wonderful to see how staff and pupils at St Bartholomew’s have taken this to heart and are seeking to tackle injustice.
“Any primary school in England can join the Global Neighbours scheme. There are three levels of accreditation: bronze, silver and gold. These are verified by independent assessors, who look for evidence across five areas: school leadership, teaching and learning; collective worship and spiritual development; pupil participation; and community engagement.”