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At Sir Robert Geffery’s we value the various communities in which we live, work and learn each day. This includes the community within each class and the importance of the social and emotional side to learning that is so important to each child’s all round development. We are a fully inclusive school and all children are recognised as unique individuals – children learn to celebrate their differences through our PSHE curriculum and through our school values and Christian ethos.
As a whole school community, we celebrate each other’s strengths and successes as well as supporting each other when needed. This is true of the staff and parents of the school as well as of the children.
We also work hard to build links with our local village community. We do this in a variety of ways including, but not exclusively:
- Litter picking by the Eco committee in the local play park
- Year 6 children serving older members of the community at the monthly village community lunch
- Representation by pupils, parents and staff at the Remembrance Service on Remembrance Sunday
- Working with helpers from the village hall on projects such as the Platinum Jubilee Rivers of Hope project – they came to help children paint group paintings of hope which were then displayed in the village church.
The Friends of Sir Robert Geffery’s
Our Friends of SRG team, comprised of parents/carers of children in our school community, organise events that help provide fun, exciting and thoughtful opportunities for the children and the school community. The fund raising events, such as discos, the Christmas fete and summer fayre, are a true part of the tradition of the school and take place throughout the school year. The funds raised from this have enriched the experiences of the children of the school in a range of ways for example in purchasing extra play equipment, adding to our extensive ‘trim trail’, increase the number of Ipads and Chromebooks available for children to use in clubs.
The team are always keen to grow in size and would be grateful of any time you can give to support this. Please look out in the weekly newsletter for invites to meetings and to help at events.
Courageous Advocacy
As a Christian school community, at Sir Robert Geffery’s we work with a range of charities to support and advocate for other people and for the environment.
‘Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless.’
Proverbs 31:8
Whether this help for others is locally in the village and surroundings (such as the Harvest foodbank donations), within Cornwall, the wider UK, or Internationally, the way that our school community helps others is of great importance to our mission as a Church of England School. We recognise that life can be challenging and that by working together and advocating for others, we can work together to help overcome the challenges.
There are so many ways that this giving to others, and standing up for everyone’s rights, helps children see and live the SRG School Values in practice: Love, Friendship, Thankfulness and Service for example.
Through our whole school assemblies and Rights Respecting Schools class assemblies, along with discussions in our PSHE lessons, we ensure that there are opportunities to discuss current world issues, to challenge injustice and to engage in activities that can bring about change. Examples include:
UN Rights of the Child – Christmas Shoeboxes for Ukraine
Politics – General Election, democracy
Pupil Committees elections and ongoing actions of the committees – School Council, Eco, Worship, Sports and Arts committees
Learning Forums – e.g. how to encourage less plastic use
To ensure that we and our community care, share and grow together we are supportive of a range of charities in our local area, nationally and globally. Some of these include:
Hillside School, Ikona, Uganda
The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal
Mission Rabies
Children in Need
Comic Relief
Landrake village food bank
In this way, we encourage the children of SRG to think globally, as citizens of the World, exploring links that exist between the local diocese/world Church and schools internationally.
The PSHE curriculum is prioritised to prepare children for life, helping them to really know and value who they truly are and understand how they relate to each other in this diverse and ever-changing world.
Children at SRG are articulate advocates of change, challenging injustice and inequality. They are encouraged to identify ways in which they can make a positive change to the natural environment or to the lives of others who may be disadvantaged, and they are instrumental in the planning and fulfilment of actions to make that change.
Examples of recent advocacy
Rock to Recovery – helping to support the families of people in the armed services, veterans and those who work in 999 services. Children also learnt about how to help themselves feel good and have positive mental health including: getting good sleep, eating healthy food, being enthusiastic, meditating, keeping moving and exercising.
Cake Sales
Children help run cake sales, for example to raise funds for our partner international school Hillside, Uganda. Stanley, the headteacher of the school is in regular contact with us and has explained how they are currently trying to put a solid, dust-free floor on the main hall room floor and are planning ways to install windows to help protect the children from the outdoor elements and support their learning.
