Schools Bag Bronze and Silver Christian Aid Global Neighbours Scheme Awards

Pupils at St Andrew’s Halstead are the first school in the area to earn the Silver Award. The pupils and staff  at both schools have been working hard to take their place as global citizens through initiatives such as foodbank donations and Plastic-Free July to promoting Fairtrade shopping. Feering Church of England Primary School pupils have been presented with a Bronze Award for undertaking intiatives from tree planting and foodbank donations to also promoting Fairtrade shopping.

The accreditation programme celebrates school communities who 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.

Mrs Bridgette Gough (Headteacher at both schools) said: “We are thrilled to be recognised for the work of our pupils and everyone in the staff team have done as a community to raise awareness of the inequalities across our globe and perhaps more importantly, the steps we can take to address these. The pupils learn about global issues regularly and gain an understanding of injustice, they have demonstrated their “Brave Voices” against these through the many opportunities open to them in and out of school.

“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.

“Our world is increasingly connected, and our hope is for our children to grow as responsible global citizens who care about issues such as the environment and access to healthcare. The children have especially enjoyed participating in climate justice art exhibitions of their own work and engagement with their MP.”

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 Andrew’s and Feering school 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.”