As well as our charitable initiatives, our Year 10 and 11 students also have the opportunity to get involved in volunteering as part of their enrichment activities every Tuesday afternoon. Students choose to take up a Skills, Sport or Volunteering activity for this term before moving to another one the following term, rotating between the three areas over a five terms period.

This term, students opting for the Volunteering activity have had the chance to get involved with a number of wonderful community-based projects. A group of girls have been helping with the grapevines at the Grape and Honey Farm on Horsenden Hill with Miss Longmore, while others have been assisting the Park Ranger in Pitshanger Park with litter picking, weeding and clearing up.  The latter group will be heading off after half term to The Children’s Book Project in London to help sort books for the charity who gift books to children who have few of their own.

Another group are going to local Care Homes St David’s and Chestnut Lodge with Miss Le Brun where they have been enjoying singing alongside the residents, as research suggests that listening to or singing songs can provide emotional and behavioural benefits for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.  Other students have opted for individual volunteering, where they are helping out with reading at local nurseries and primary schools.

We will be sharing how our volunteers get on later this term, so watch this space!