Focus-Trust’s Pupil Parliament consists of pupils who have been elected by their peers to represent their school at the trust level. The ‘7 Musts of Focus-Trust’ began as a recent Pupil Parliament project, inspired by books such as ‘100 things to do before you grow up’.

Surveys were sent out across the schools for both children and staff, all voting for their top ten out of a long list of ideas. Further discussions were held in the following meetings, and the Pupil Parliamentarians voted for their top seven ‘musts’.

The pupil-led project resulted in seven essential experiences which will become available to all children at Focus-Trust schools. A pupil representative presented the ‘7 Musts’ to all of the Focus-Trust headteachers, and the Pupil Parliament designed their very own logo.

The 7 Musts of Focus-Trust means every child in a Focus-Trust school will have the opportunity to:

1. Complete a first aid course
2. Attend Young Voices
3. Visit London
4. Undertake an environmental project
5. Visit the theatre
6. Plan a charity event
7. Complete Bike-ability

The aim of the project is to give pupils an even wider set of standard experiences to develop their social and cultural knowledge and experiences. By making these activities a ‘must’, they become a core entitlement for all, rather than an additional extra.

Each school is now planning how they will organise each of these activities from September 2023, with some having already undertaken their residential visit to London.

Andrew Marlow, Curriculum and Pedagogy Director at Focus-Trust, said: “At Focus-Trust, pupil voice is a crucial element of our work and supports our continual improvement.

“Across all our schools we actively seek out opportunities for children to share their thoughts, opinions, and ideas about their learning and experiences.

“It is important to us because it empowers our children, improves learning, fosters a culture of community, and develops important life skills”.

Focus-Trust is a charitable primary schools trust which is based in the North West of England and West Yorkshire with a vision of providing ‘great schools at the heart of our communities’ where children thrive, achieve and succeed.

LGBTQ+ Voices has been downloaded more than 2,000 times since it launched last year and provides teachers with curriculum links to PSHE or Health and Wellbeing, Citizenship and History. It features both a lesson plan and an assembly with interactive tasks. Together, they aim to challenge perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community and help students aged 11–16 understand the importance of diversity and inclusion.

The award-winning resource enables students to explore the contributions of LGBTQ+ Army personnel past and present. It features four fascinating case studies, including Deborah Penny, the first trans soldier in the British Army.

Many teachers feel ill-equipped to answer any questions that students may have around trans rights. It is hoped that LGBTQ+ Voices will play an important contribution to the current debate. By giving students the tools that they need, they can play their part in addressing the inequality and discrimination felt by the trans community. Students will understand why being an LGBTQ+ ally is so very important, even if they don’t identify as LGBTQ+.

LGBTQ+ Voices was developed with teachers and support from the Army LGBTQ+ network. Teachers have remarked how the resources are “rich in information”. They offer “powerful” learning, are “self-contained” and are “simple to use”, especially for non-specialists and those less confident in discussing LGBTQ+ topics.

Teachers can download LGBTQ+ Voices for free at: https://apply.army.mod.uk/base/lessons/lgbtq-voices

The national student voice initiative was created to bring students from across the Trust’s 43 academies together to encourage them to use their voices to drive change and make a difference.

This year marked the introduction of the first fully-fledged democratic elections, which gave the students the opportunity to take part in a 10-step election that included nominations, full in-person campaigning, ballot elections and an exciting results day.

The students campaigned on a range of issues that mattered the most to them and used their voices to effectively communicate their points and inspire others. Their campaigns have centred on issues such as mental health, championing diversity, and bolstering the voices of those who are disadvantaged.

The elections were split into OAT’s four regions, with academies electing up to 4 students, dependant on the size of their academy to represent their voices regionally. Now the regional student teams have been elected, they will nominate and elect 20 members to form the National Student Voice who will represent and act on behalf of OAT’s 33,000 students.

Each regional student leadership team selects three issues to focus region-wide projects and initiatives on. Last year, the student leadership team for the West highlighted LQBTQ+ campaigns as a salient issue and as a part of this commitment organised a pride campaign to celebrate diversity.

A crucial part of the Trust’s national student voice councils is their contributions to the #WeWill campaign, a national social action project. Through the campaign, the student councils have supported the creation of various projects that centre on health, recycling, the arts, eco-sustainability, and all share the same goal of making a difference in the communities in which the academies serve.

The student voice teams were also instrumental in organising the Trust’s Ukrainian humanitarian appeal which utilised the collective power and support of the community of academies. With the student network already in place, the national student voice team were able to quickly and effectively organise a Trust wide appeal that enabled them to raise over £15,000 for the Disasters Emergency Committee.

The final round of elections will take place over the next few weeks, where the incumbent regional student voice ambassadors will have the opportunity to put together pitches for their campaign to be part of the national council.

Holly Weaver, Former Chair of National Student Voice at Ormiston Academies Trust, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my experience as Chair of National Student Voice, working closely with other passionate students to enact change and draw attention to the issues we really care about.

“It was good to see how our opinions were valued and were influential in deciding the #WeWill projects. It is important that these projects are shaped by pupils’ ideas as it will ensure they have the most impact on our community.”

Debbie Kinsella, Lead Practitioner for Enrichment at Ormiston Academies Trust, said: “This year’s student voice elections have been truly fantastic. Hearing the passion, thoughts and ideas of our students has been inspiring and I look forward to seeing the amazing work that they do in their time as ambassadors.

“We created our regional and national student voice as a way to bring our students together and to motivate them by showcasing how they can affect change and make a difference. It has been wonderful to see our students be so dedicated and enthusiastic about making the most of their positions.”

The R-Generation resources provide curriculum links to PSHE, Citizenship, Science and Geography, and offer a whole-school approach to being more actively sustainable. The resources for primary students include a range of interactive activities that can easily fit into day-to-day lesson planning such as an assembly presentation, school launch guide and four workshops focused on key topics such as reusing, recycling and being an active citizen. The aim of the programme is to empower students to take recycling into their own hands, by creating school surveys, interviews and analysis that help students better understand what recycling means for their school and how they can build better habits for the future. To make this a manageable goal for primary school students, the resources showcase simple tips on understanding labels, checking your bins and knowing how to recycle in your local area.

The programme also offers resources for secondary students, which focus on creating a team of R-Generation Ambassadors who create an Action Plan to make their school community more sustainable. Through a series of workshops, students will learn how to lead by example, exploring other young influential sustainability ambassadors to inspire their thinking. These R-Generation Ambassadors will then create a 10-week sustainability plan for their school, featuring school recycling challenges and ideas about how to include their wider school community of parents, councillors and local press to make a difference in their local community.

Emma Barker, Teacher at Grampian Primary said: “The R-Generation programme has equipped my class with important skills to be able to drive a lasting change within the school. It’s helped them to realise they have a voice and are able to communicate their newfound knowledge about recycling and sustainability with confidence. They are immensely proud of the projects they have implemented across the school, and they have helped to inspire others to make small changes to help the environment.”

Hayley Lloyd House, Head of Sustainability at Nestlé Water UK said: “Thinking beyond sustainability and reducing our impact on the environment are at the heart of everything we do, and the world needs everyone to take action and do their bit now, more than ever before. By relaunching the R-Generation programme in a new way, we hope to showcase the variety of simple actions children, schools and local communities can take to create circularity in their organisations that can help reduce their impact. These small changes can have an impact on a global scale and we can all be part of the change our planet needs for tomorrow and the future.”

The R-Generation primary and secondary resource packs are now available to be downloaded for free at: http://r-generation.co.uk/. Nestle Waters UK has been working with RECOUP, which instigates and develops plastics and plastics packaging recycling opportunities, since 2010.

This pilot, involving primary schools from the Nottingham hub, will strengthen the Trust’s existing relationship with its local broad-based alliance, Nottingham Citizens.

COVID-19 has underlined the necessity for schools to be responsive to the needs and injustices of their communities, and schools across the country continue to grapple with the task. This strategic action by L.E.A.D. demonstrates the value of an intentional, sustainable and powerful civic purpose at the heart of the Trust.

Six primary schools initially and senior Trust staff will receive support and training to develop a ‘community of practice and action’ to equip them to: bring about systemic changes to their communities; connect effectively with other civic institutions; and address the many issues young people and their families face beyond the ‘school gates’. Over the two years, the Community Organising curriculum will enhance the wider life and learning of each academy in the Trust and locality.

Dr Sebastien Chapleau, Headteacher in Residence and Lead Organiser with Citizens UK, said: “At a time when many in the educational sector are trying to work out how best to respond to the needs of families beyond the school gates, and when many Multi-Academy Trusts are trying to define what it means to be a Civic Trust, we’re excited to work closely with the L.E.A.D. community of schools to develop key systems and practices to build power and take action with thousands of young people and their families.”

Meeta Dave, Headteacher, Radford Academy and Nottingham Citizens Leadership Group member, said: “A number of L.E.A.D. schools are already significant members of our alliance, and this partnership will strengthen the voice of the school communities in their locality and beyond. We are looking forward to learning from this new relationship, creating change for the common good and weaving Community Organising into the primary curriculum.”

For more information on the Trust, please go to www.leadacademytrust.co.uk. If you would like to know more about the work Citizens UK undertake, please visit https://www.citizensuk.org

The charity is warning that this threat, exacerbated by the latest lockdown measures, could accelerate the mental health crisis facing young people across the UK. More than half (54%) of young people the DofE surveyed worry their levels of stress, anxiety or mental health issues could increase if they are no longer able to continue with the activities and experiences helping them cope with the pandemic.

During the pandemic, extracurricular learning has been a lifeline for many young people, helping to maintain and boost resilience and mental health. 43% of DofE participants surveyed said they felt volunteering, doing exercise or learning a new skill has given them a positive focus during COVID-19, while nearly two thirds (64%) are more appreciative of non-academic activities as a result of the pandemic.

Yet as problems with sleep, depression and self-harm in children rise and youth unemployment is set to triple, access to these life-changing activities is under threat. Even when lockdowns are not in place, many youth clubs and classes remain closed and young people themselves are feeling pressure to give up activities. The DofE’s survey uncovered that 71% of participants that responded have had to cut back on extracurricular activities due to academic pressures caused by COVID-19. Nearly a quarter (22.5%) worry they might have to sacrifice extracurricular activities because they are more concerned about their parents’ financial situation.

In response, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has launched its Resilience Fund to ensure thousands of young people facing disadvantage are able to participate in DofE, which has been shown to help increase wellbeing, confidence and resilience. Thanks to a very generous donation the Fund will provide 12,000 funded DofE places for young people facing disadvantage, and train thousands of DofE Leaders, Managers and volunteers to further strengthen the charity’s support for young people from under-privileged backgrounds.

While the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have taken steps to recognise the value of extracurricular learning, funding services and positive activities for young people before and throughout the pandemic, young people in England have faced years of brutal cuts that have eroded their infrastructure of support.

Today the DofE is calling on the UK Government to act urgently to prevent a wider mental health crisis, by ensuring the quality provision of extracurricular learning in England is prioritised, adequately funded and enabled, in line with safety guidelines, in Government COVID-19 guidance.

This includes:

• Providing emergency funding for youth organisations so they can continue providing essential support and extracurricular learning, including releasing the £500m investment in youth services promised as part of the UK Government’s 2019 manifesto.
• Investing in developing a diverse, high quality and sustainable youth offer, particularly in areas of deprivation, to ensure all young people can access opportunities, activities and experiences that are essential to their development and wellbeing.

Harry, who is doing his Gold DofE in Wigton, Cumbria, shares why extracurricular learning is so important to him: “When lockdown started, I was scared to leave my house and struggled to find anything good in life. I have autism and a rare genetic condition which heightened my anxieties. For my DofE volunteering, I grew vegetables in my allotment to share with local people who were shielding. Doing this helped me feel less anxious, more confident, and speaking to other allotment holders from a distance has helped me learn to socialise safely. Being outdoors helps me relax and stay calm.”

Ruth Marvel, CEO of the DofE, said: “These threats to extracurricular learning could have devastating impacts on the mental health and future prospects of young people – especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom have been hit hardest by COVID-19. Non-academic education is just as important as academic learning, and the UK Government must prioritise it as such. To face the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, young people need and deserve the increased resilience, confidence and independence built through extracurricular learning.”

A new report, also published today by the DofE, produced with the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), highlights the long-lasting impact DofE programmes have on young people’s wellbeing and mental health, as well as building valuable skills for their future and prospects of employment. It reports that 62% of participants say doing their DofE made them more confident in overcoming difficult situations, 61% feel they have become more independent, 67% say it helped them feel more responsible, and 70% said it made them feel proud of what they can achieve.

Throughout the pandemic, the DofE has been supporting tens of thousands of young people across the UK to continue their extracurricular learning through DofE With A Difference, providing physical, skills-based and volunteering opportunities that can be easily done from home.

With just 6 months until the next census, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has developed a series of census-related lessons and activities for both primary and secondary schools across England and Wales. Now it is calling on schools to sign up.

The primary school campaign, Let’s Count!, is a cross-curricular programme developed in conjunction with Family and Education and their education resource centre, iChild. The education programme is designed to excite children and families alike about the census.

Let’s Count! has achieved accreditation from Mathematics in Education and Industry, National Association for the Teaching of English, and the Geographical Association. With maths and statistics at its core, the programme provides flexible lesson plans and engaging activities for pupils to learn how they can use statistics across many topics.

British historian, Professor David Olusoga OBE, is also on board and he will be delivering a special live stream lesson on equality and representation.

Professor Olusoga said: “I am thrilled to be part of this campaign. I passionately believe in public history and above all in making the stories of everyone and every community in the UK accessible to children. 2020 has been a year in which young people have shown us that equality and representation, the issues my lesson will explore, are issues that acutely matter to them. The census – as ever – will provide a snapshot of who we are as a nation. History explains how we got here.”

Meanwhile, a secondary school campaign has been developed by EVERFI EdComs. The programme was co-created with teachers and students to develop engaging content to help raise awareness of the census with a pre-launch film profiling the diverse voices of the census being released today. Students will explore why the census matters to them and their local communities, covering topics across the curriculum.

Iain Bell, deputy national statistician at the ONS, said: “These programmes offer a great opportunity for children to learn about the importance of the census. They help children learn more about maths and their own local area, and they will also raise awareness of the census, which informs many important issues like the number of school place or hospital beds. By running programmes in primary and secondary schools across England and Wales, we want to engage pupils of all ages in the census and by doing so make Census 2021 a huge success.”

The Let’s Count! primary school campaign was piloted during the 2019 Census rehearsal, with many schools taking part within the rehearsal areas. A selection of schools also took part in the Let’s Count! competition, creating school-centred census displays, with Jubilee Primary School in Hackney being crowned the winners.

George Gould, Head of Year 6 at Jubilee Primary school, said: “This competition was a great way of developing all of our children’s statistics and citizenship skills, speaking and listening to members of the local community and collecting and presenting data.”

Phil Bird, CEO of Family & Education/iChild said: “We are delighted to be part of this unique event, and excited to develop and share time-saving Census 2021 education resources with our iChild network. The Let’s Count! programme will help improve maths, geography and writing skills, using Census 2021, a significant real-life event, as a stimulus. It has accreditation and exclusive content from MEI, NATE and the Geographical Association.”

The Secondary School Education Programme will aim to engage young people, empowering them to use their voices to encourage their families and community to complete the census. The programme will use real-world tasks to explore how data is used and influences decisions across society. The lesson content will inspire whole-school participation and link to curriculum subjects such as citizenship, PSHE, maths and history.

Darren Sayer, Secondary Deputy Headteacher at Hanson Academy, Bradford, said: “The census is a very worthwhile topic and the resources provided by this programme form a very valuable insight into why data and information are so important and how they can affect change.”

Nick Fuller, President of EVERFI EdComs said: “It’s great to be part of this historic campaign and we at EVERFI EdComs want to ensure young people and their families understand what Census 2021 means for them and the communities they live in.”

It is hoped the school campaigns will help raise awareness of the digital-first census, happening on 21 March 2021. The census occurs once every ten years and provides a snapshot of households in England and Wales, helping to plan and fund public services.

Schools can sign up to the education programmes now, by visiting http://bit.ly/censuseducation

Every week a group of children from Bickley Park School in Bickley visits the Crown Meadow Nursing Home where they read stories and play games with the elderly residents. The visits have brought enormous benefits to both the residents and the children.

Headteacher Patrick Wenham said: “Community is at our core here and all the children are taught the value of serving the wider society. We have a variety of outreach projects at Bickley Park involving residential care homes. Our older children provide entertainment for the residents, or we invite them in to school for social events.”

The initiative has earned the school a nomination for a Perrys Exceptional Community Award. Now in its third successful year, the Perrys Exceptional Awards, launched in 2016 by Kent-based accountants Perrys, aim to recognise inspirational and outstanding charities, individuals and businesses across the county.

Stewart Pope, CEO at Perrys Chartered Accountants, said: “Each year the awards bring together individuals, charities and businesses from across the county who demonstrate everything that makes Kent a great place to live and work.

“We’ve had some fantastic nominations this year and we look forward to unveiling the winners at our ceremony in November.”

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at Leeds Castle in Maidstone on Thursday 8 November.

Located just a few miles from the site of the tragic attack, Old Trafford Community Academy’s 425 pupils were ‘deeply affected’ by the tragic attack which took place on 22nd May last year.

Marking the anniversary, the school also came together for a special assembly and to make bee friendship bracelets – the symbol for Manchester.

Vice Principal, Andrew Marlow, said it was important for all of the pupils to mark the anniversary by remembering those who had lost their lives and to remind themselves of the importance of ‘standing together in solidarity’.

He said: “We are situated very close to the arena, and the horrendous attack which took place last May affected us all very deeply. For a long time after, the community experienced a high police presence whilst investigations took place, which caused many children and parents to feel unsettled and on edge.

“We therefore felt it was important to mark the occasion and remember those who sadly lost their lives by doing something that brought us all together as one. Something that reminded us that we have each other and that we are stronger standing together in solidarity.

“The first anniversary of the attack will be an intensely emotional time for us all, but our memorial garden and our Manchester Wall, which will be created on the anniversary, will be a daily reminder to children and staff of those who died, those who lost loved ones, and those who were left physically or mentally injured.”

Old Trafford Community Academy is one of 15 primary academies that form Focus-Trust – a charitable multi-academy trust based in the North West of England.

Youngsters from St Petersburg and Moscow spent a busy week in Durham with their counterparts from Bow School, which included a ‘Mini World Cup’ ahead of the real thing in Russia this summer.

During their stay the 25 Russian children (13 from Moscow and 12 from St Petersburg), aged between 8 and 11, took part in lessons and activities at Bow, Durham School.

The visitors hosted assemblies with the help of pupils at the independent prep school and the cultural exchange finished with an outstanding performance of young Bow School dancers together with their new Russian friends.

Meanwhile the Russian teachers delivered a Russian Folk Workshop for the British pupils teaching Russian dance, songs and making ancient Russian children’s games.

Sally Harrod, Headmistress of Bow, Durham School, explained: “The children had an amazing and enriching week. They made some fantastic friendships and were able to find out about the Russian culture through real-life and first-hand experience.

“It was very interesting for our pupils to find out more about what school is like in Russia and they picked up some of the Russian language during the week, which they demonstrated wonderfully in the assemblies.

“We look forward to the children returning to our school next year.”

During their stay, the children were also treated to a performance of Charlotte’s Web, which came courtesy of theatre-in-education specialists, M&M Theatrical Productions. The main purpose of the Russian group visit was to take part in an International Youth Primary Project and to collaborate with young people from Durham.

This project allowed the children from Bow, Durham School to have a personal experience of meeting and learning with youngsters from Russia and to broaden their international, interpersonal skills.

The visit was organised by Most Education, the North-East hub for intercultural relations and educational opportunities.

It actively promotes youth exchange projects, teachers’ professional development, school partnerships, international learning and cultural experiences and communities alliances.

Both Russian schools are UNESCO Associated schools and, also International Baccalaureate schools.

Most Education founder, Lana Briton said: “This project was specially designed to give our young primary children a personal experience and the confidence to work in international context by developing interpersonal and communicational skills from earlier ages.

“We are keen to further promote the North East of England to a worldwide audience for future tourism and educational opportunities.”

Agata Mukhina, a pupil from St.Petersburg, gave her verdict on her visit. She said: “It was a magic time. I never realised that English children and teachers are so kind and friendly to us. I am hoping to keep in touch with my new friend from Durham.”

The children have been encouraged to stay in touch with their new friends, by hand-writing letters which Lana says she’ll be happy to deliver back and forth.