School_Matters_Issue_34

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LVI pupils online mentoring pupils from partner school Richmond Park Academy

#IPSPARTNERSHIPS During 2020 we committed to a far-reaching outreach programme involving our Lower Sixth pupils. The aim of the scheme is for pupils to have an opportunity to build their skills in resilience, communication and teamwork, while providing valuable service to others. A record 69 pupils now complete a weekly activity designed to help our local community through the school’s relationship with several valued partners. These include: Linden Lodge School, Southfields (for the visually and multi-sensory impaired); the Mosaic Jewish Primary School; Richmond Park Academy; The Scrubbery; and Plogolution. Activities include virtual tutoring, mentoring and social engagement with one of our three partner schools; contributing to a local ‘Scrub Hub’ making scrubs to supply to NHS hospitals; and weekly litter-picking on behalf of the charity Plogolution. #IPSPARTNERSHIPS Gardening in the Community

One of the most creative projects is our Community Gardening initiative. This began at the Alton Activity Centre on the Alton Estate. This is where local resident and Heathmere Primary School teacher Ms Orode Faka runs an ‘After School Rocks’ children’s club. Whilst the pandemic curtailed many of her planned activities, she was keen to get the outdoor area looking as beautiful as possible. So, led ably by Mr O’Sullivan, Teacher of Design and Technology, our pupils began the process of clearing the site so that it could be re-modelled. They are playing a key part in the design of the “new look”. Once completed, the group will move on to making over grounds around the sheltered housing, also on the Alton Estate. Furthermore, with the reliance on food banks rising rapidly during the periods of lockdown, IPS partnered with local charities Regenerate and RacketsCubed and drew on the extraordinary generosity of pupils, parents and staff to make regular donations of provisions and supplies to reach those in most need in the community. Wherever appropriate, we plan for these links to endure for many years and we look forward to seeing our partnerships develop and continue to flourish into the future. We are grateful to the members of the Sixth Form who have contributed reports of their work across these pages. Miss Charlotte Rhead, Director of Outreach and Partnerships

For two hours every week, seven LVI students have been helping to revitalise the garden of the Alton Activity Centre. Equipped with gloves, protective shoes, secateurs, and several spades and forks, our aim has been to bring the garden back to life.

In the autumn we made some encouraging progress: we were able to successfully dig out all the weeds in a garden bed and the surrounding area, as well as other plants that had died. We discovered that anti-weed fabric had been placed at the bottom of the flowerbed, which had clearly not worked, so we removed it all. Before the New Year lockdown, we had just begun planning our design. During our time spent at the garden, Mr O’Sullivan, our teacher, has helped us gain invaluable experience about gardening. Now I know all about garden maintenance and I am a pro at naming all of the different types of plants. But what was far more significant than the botanical expertise we acquired was that we all realized how important it was to take time to help our community. Small gestures, when done by us all, make our community

a better place. Trinity Riad, LVI