Wigan borough school wins award for global citizenship work

From recycling, working to regenerate local meadowland and promoting walking to school, to donating food for local people, pupils and staff at All Saints’ Primary School have been working hard to earn their prize from Christian Aid’s Global Neighbours Scheme.

The scheme celebrates schools that 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.

Headteacher Janet Dunn said: “We are thrilled to be recognised for the work we have done to raise awareness of the extreme inequalities across our globe and perhaps more importantly, the steps we can take to address them. The pupils learn about global issues regularly and gain an understanding of injustice in our world.

“Our Fairdo group have found creative and active ways of encouraging the whole school community to use their purchasing power to support ethically sourced goods. 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. We took part in Christian Aid’s scheme because it gives us a practical way of living out our school Christian values, including compassion and hope.

“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.”

Alison Brown, Global Neighbours schools programme officer at Christian Aid, said: “”It’s wonderful to see how staff and pupils at All Saints’ 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.

More information about the awards can be found at www.christianaid.org.uk.