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REVIEWS OF THE YEAR
Community Outreach
Rev Tom Shaw, Assistant Chaplain
St Edward’s remains an outward looking
community. Long-term projects like The
North Wall alongside smaller projects
arising from individual relationships or
pupil activity create space for the mutual
enrichment of the School and wider
community. The St Edward’s community
has been encouraged to see and act
“beyond the bubble” throughout the year.
The North Wall has continued to make
available arts and cultural activities for the
community. It promotes education at all
levels and makes a substantial contribution
to social equity. Last year it attracted a
significant schools’ audience, working with
around 630 pupils in 19 group bookings
from 14 schools. The project continues to
demonstrate how the expertise, experience
and resources of the School can be
deployed for the benefit of the community.
It continues to improve the school’s
reputation and ensures pupils have access
to arts and cultural activities that promote
an understanding of, and respect for, the
human condition.
Several departments have been proactive
in forging links with the community. The
Café des Sciences outreach has been very
effective. It has inspired engagement with
science and increased environmental
awareness. It takes an interactive lecture
and activities, with themes like ‘Shark
Attack’ and ‘Coral Reef Crisis’, to primary
and secondary schools. The Classics
department has continued to work with
the Warriner Partnership of Oxfordshire
primary schools to support the teaching of
Greek. The PSHE department have been
working with Good Lad – an organization
that aims to promote positive masculinity,
and in doing so, to enable men to deal
with complex gender situations and
become agents of positive change within
their social circles and broader
communities. A workshop program has
been developed that can be rolled out to
secondary school pupils. This is a project
specifically designed to contribute toward
the long-term development and social
equity of the wider community.
Readers Make Leaders was an initiative
run in partnership with Blackbird Leys
Academy Trust (three primary schools in
Blackbird Leys), Cherwell, MCS and St
Edward’s. It involved 300 primary school
pupils and 300 Year 10 pupils. The Year
10s had to purchase a book to give, choose
a poem to share and reflect on being a
leader in the public space. The primary
school pupils encountered role models and
were encouraged and inspired to read
books and poetry. It successfully bridged
the social, cultural and economic divide
between North Oxford and Blackbird
Leys. Feedback included:
“I wish you could have come round the
playground with me and heard our
children talking. They all absolutely loved
it - every single one of them was beaming
and full of how wonderful their partners
were and how much they enjoyed the
morning.
”
Teacher, Pegasus Primary