In what has been a very difficult year for everyone, our school community has stood together to support all of those who need our love embodying our school vision.
St Nicholas provides a welcoming, inclusive and aspirational learning environment at the heart of its community. We nurture, encourage and support all children, adults and their families to be the best as God intended. Following God’s example of love and trust, we develop resilience and creativity in all we do.
Learning, loving and encouraging through Christ.
Courageous Advocacy
What is a courageous advocate?
A courageous advocate is somebody who champions a cause which is special and meaningful to them.
At St Nicholas Church of England Primary Academy, we have a strong emphasis on encouraging our pupils to become courageous advocates, not just locally but nationally and globally.
At some point in life, we will all face challenges and need support to help us overcome these barriers. We teach our children that it is important to help others when we can, no matter who they are, where they come from or what challenges they may face. We teach this through the teachings of the Bible and learning about other courageous advocates. Our Christian values and carefully planned for opportunities in our curriculum and worship, ensure that the children regularly discuss and debate the big issues, to challenge injustice and to engage in activities that can bring about change are always present.
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fair; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31:8-9
It is important for our children to appreciate their role as part of a community; to take responsibility, to look after themselves and to foster an understanding of their importance, impact and influence in the world.
We support a range of charities in out local area, nationally and globally. The school council, worship leaders and eco warriors work with staff, governors, parents, pupils and St Nicholas Church to identify worthy causes to support.
In recent years, we have carried out a range of different fund raising to support many good causes, some of which include:
- A local community hub
- Operation Noah
- The Quiet Garden Trust
- Tearfund
- Salvation Army
- Comic Relief
- Developed links with a school in South Africa, with the support of the church, to send books and learning resources to
- The Royal British Legion
- Macmillan
Our children have an excellent grasp on the meaning of belonging to a local and global community and the sense of belonging that comes with belonging, thereby developing their ability to empathise and make sacrifices to benefit others. As a result of learning in science and work in RE about creation and looking after God’s creation, children in Year 4 wrote to the headteacher to express concern about the amount of laminating done in school by teachers. They were concerned that laminating is not recyclable and is wasteful. They formed an eco-club and had a meeting with staff where it was decided that staff would only use laminating for long-term displays and would only have 1 packet of laminating sheets a year.
Together, we consider the fragility and beauty of our environment, the actions we take, and the impact these actions may have on the wellbeing of everyone. Our school community and curriculum actively embraces a responsibility for the world in which we live. As a result of worship, gardening clubs have been set up and we raised money for Operation Noah and research into climate change. We are keen to show our connection with and care for the world in which we all live and care for the people who live in it.
Worship leaders are currently working to set up an in-school food bank because of concerns they have about the cost-of-living crisis and how it is impacting on families in our school. During Harvest, one of the children said, “It’s important to remember harvest and collecting donations shouldn’t just one day but that people need help every day because people are really struggling at the moment.”
Since our return to school, despite all of the restrictions, we have continued to raise money for charities that are important to us and particularly important to the children, who drive these choices through an active school council.
- Yellow Day – to raise awareness of mental health – £254
- Children in Need – £610
- Poppy Appeal – £416
- Sponsored Bounce – £2614 – raising money for the school to enrich children’s learning and provide a range of equipment and extra-curricular activities
For the first time, the school took part in a Christingle service and raised £550 for The Children’s Society.
During Lent, although our celebrations were cut short, the school council had decided to raise money for The Salvation Army and Operation Noah. Operation Noah is a charity that combines the Church and Science to tackle global warming and climate change issues, a topic our children are passionate about. The school had to close prior to the Easter Egg raffle being drawn in assembly but it was still drawn and eggs collected. Unfortunately the 10p coin race was unable to be held because of school closures, however despite the shorter than normal time to raise money, we still managed an impressive £600.
School Council Fundraising
School council have been busy organising fundraising activities this term. The fun started in March with Comic Relief. School council arranged a crazy hair day and come to school in red themed day. Several members of the school council came into school early and collected donations as the children and parents walked through the gates in the morning. They raised a tremendous £440.
After discussing fundraising activities and charities with their classes, the members of the school council agreed that they would raise money for the Salvation Army and Oxfam. Each class collected 10p’s for a coin race on the last day of term – Oak class collected the most. Well done. At the same time, we organised an enormous Easter egg raffle with all prizes donated by members of staff. Amidst much excitement, there was a raffle draw on the last day of term with over 50 prizes! With these efforts an impressive £550 was raised.
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