Cambridge Edition September 2023 - Web

EDUCATION

for much of the volunteering work undertaken by pupils. “Our school is located at a small neighbourhood in a rural village in Suffolk,” begins Omar Khan, head of boarding at Stoke College. The school prides itself on fostering an ethos of looking after others, he says – and that’s something that feeds into the school’s approach to community service. “It’s about care and nurture, to help students become the best versions of themselves. We believe that the school experience doesn’t just start and end at school, and getting our students involved in our local community is something we hold in high regard.” So, you’ll find Stoke College pupils helping out in the local shop and running stalls at the village fair. While it sounds idyllic, it also serves a serious purpose. “Students are required to contribute positively to society for an extended period of time,” continues Omar. They learn crucial social skills – and practical ones like cash handling – as well as having a load of fun along the way. “They thoroughly enjoy it,” he adds. Similarly, Impington Village College and Impington International College both endeavour ‘to imbue a strong community ethos in our students’, while ‘a passion to serve the community is a common thread throughout their learning’, insists Bronwyn Wilson, assistant principal and head of sixth form at Impington

International College. “Whether they study the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme at Impington Village College or the Diploma Programme or Career-related Programme at Impington International College, we ensure that our young people have opportunities to work in the community to equip them with the tools they need to create a better world, and a reason to invest in doing so.” The numbers are impressive, with over 100 students volunteering in the community every week, undertaking everything from working in primary schools to litter picking in the local park. “Our students are able to support projects that they are passionate about,

while gaining valuable work experience,” enthuses Bronwyn. The volunteering isn’t only UK-based, either, with students at Impington International College travelling to the Phoenix Projects in Peru, supporting conservation work at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve in Botswana and working with a special education school in India. “Some students were so inspired by the projects they worked on that they will be returning to volunteer during their gap years,” adds Bronwyn. “Teaching students the skills they need to comprehend global issues not only prepares them for situations that could eventuate later in life, but also ignites in them a desire to effect positive change on the world.” At The Perse School, building those community links involves a huge number of initiatives, many focused on creating an extensive network of partnerships with primary schools in the area. One programme is aimed towards potentially disengaged year 5 and year 6 pupils, using games, discussions and trips to help them see education in a far more positive light. Another focuses on gifted primary-age mathematicians. Pupils from The Perse work on advanced problems with them, enabling their teachers to concentrate their PATH LESS TRAVELLED Volunteering opportunities let students develop social skills as they push themselves outside a classroom environment, like these Impington International College pupils all around the world

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