Lawn Manor Academy has made a formal pledge to Year 7 pupils that their school years will be filled with opportunities and experiences to prepare them well for adult life.
The Lawn Manor Pledge commits the school to offering pupils personal development and learning opportunities outside the classroom walls, as well as within.
Staff say it aims to help expose pupils to cultural aspects and values of British life, create opportunities to work with their local community, build tolerance of different viewpoints and take them out of their comfort zones so they develop resilience and confidence.
Lawn Manor Academy, which is part of the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy Trust, has put its pledge on the school’s website. As part of exposing pupils to British culture, it promises to offer every pupil during their time at the school a visit to London, to a museum, to a beach, to a church and to a mosque.
Lawn Manor Academy is also committing that every Key Stage 4 pupil experiences a live theatre production, a music event and a sport event.
To enhance pupils’ future prospects, the school is also promising to arrange mock job interviews, support work experience placements and university visits, and organise a Careers Fayre. Pupils will also be encouraged to attend a Safe Drive, Stay Alive course.
Links with the local community are also being further strengthened through the pledge. The young people are being encouraged to get out of doors through the school’s own Forest School, and to join a school camping trip. School staff will also facilitate pupils volunteering at local primary schools, and raising funds for charities.
Headteacher Sandra Muir said the Lawn Manor Pledge had been developed by the senior leadership team, originally as a response to the effects that the pandemic has had on young people.
She said: “Educating a child is a very broad and extensive process, and goes much further than the standard state curriculum.
“It’s as much about how to support them to become thoughtful, confident, responsible members of society as it is about passing exams, important though those are.
“The pandemic has had a serious impact on the number of experiences young people have been able to have, so we have set ourselves a list of experiences that we aim to offer every child during the five years that they are with us.
“We are lucky to have a wide range of cultures and backgrounds within our school, and are committed to playing an important part in the community outside our school gates. We are determined that all our young people will be able to try out a wealth of new experiences, so they are aware of the amazing opportunities the world has to offer.”
A poster which summarises the pledge was designed by Year 10 pupil Sienna, who is studying GCSE graphics, and can be seen at key points around the school.
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