LEADING IMPROVEMENTS IN LEARNING

PUPIL GROUPS

At St Mary's Primary School, we believe in giving our pupils opportunities to take on leadership roles, contribute to the school community, and develop important life skills. Our various pupil groups are a fantastic way for our children to get involved, share their ideas, and make a real difference within the school.

From our Eco-Committee, which works hard to promote sustainability and environmental awareness,. We also have Junior Road Safety Officers, who promote safe and responsible behaviour when travelling to and from school, ensuring the well-being of our students and the wider community.

From our Global Group working hard to promote sustainability and environmental awareness, to the Young Leaders of Learning, where pupils take an active role in improving the learning environment and sharing ideas for enhancing school life, these groups provide a platform for young leaders to shine.

Each group encourages teamwork, responsibility, and confidence, and allows pupils to take pride in making positive contributions to the school. Whether it’s helping to organise events, lead campaigns, or simply inspire their peers, the pupils in these groups play an essential role in making St Mary’s a vibrant and inclusive place to learn.

By participating in these groups, our children gain valuable skills that extend beyond the classroom, preparing them to be active, thoughtful members of society.

GLOBAL GROUP

Our Global Group is formed of pupils from every class in the school. They are responsible for leading learning for sustainability across the school, encompassing Fairtrade, ECO Schools, Children's Rights and fundraising. We have 7 ECO Schools Green Flags, we have successfully retained our Fair Achieving school status - the top Fairtrade Schools award and are now working towards being recognised as a UNICEF Rights Respecting School. We have already been very hard at work celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight - presenting at assembly to share information about Fairtrade and organising a community coffee morning. This was hugely successful, raising over £400 for Fairtrade, £500 for our parish SVDP and £300 for international charity SCIAF. We will soon be organising collections for the WDC Foodshare and an Advent fundraiser for local charity Made with Love.

We have also been very busy creating a new ECO schools action plan following our success in gaining a 7th Green Flag award in June. As part of this we completed an environmental review, chose our three topics - Climate Action, Global Citizenship and Food and the Environment. We have already linked with our Laudato Si group to help improve our school growing spaces. We have created a new school litter policy and are working on an updated ECO Code. We will also relaunch our Big Switch Off to encourage everyone to switch off devices, lights and taps when not in use.

Last year we were awarded the bronze status for UNICEF's Rights Respecting School award. We are now working towards Silver status. Our Global Group have organised a weekly 'right' to be shared each week at assembly and every year take part in UNICEF's Outright campaign to highlight child rights. We are working closely with Greg Allan and the WDC Rights Group to participate in focus groups and promote children's rights across West Dunbartonshire.

AIMS and ACTION PLAN

Aims:

1. Climate Action

We want our school to be as sustainable as possible to help our pupils and staff take responsibility for caring for our planet.
We want our school and local environment to be clean and free from litter and pollution.
We want our pupils to continue to develop an understanding of the problems affecting our climate, the impact this will have and actions we can take.

2. Global Citizenship

Maintain our Fair Achiever school status to demonstrate that we recognise the importance of Fairtrade as a means of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Work towards achieving Rights Respecting Schools Silver Status (and subsequently Gold).
Seek ways to support those less fortunate than ourselves in our local and wider community to enable pupils to develop empathy and recognise the need to work towards reducing inequalities in our world.

3. Food and the Environment

We want pupils to have a greater understanding of how their food is produced and how they can be sustainable and responsible food consumers.
We want pupils to learn how to grow their own food.
We want pupils to learn how to cook their own food.

Action Plan:

1. Climate Action

We will recycle paper, card and plastic and seek other opportunities for recycling.
We will campaign to conserve energy by switching off lights, taps and devices when not in use.
We will carry out regular litter picks in our school grounds and local community.
We will learn about climate change and the issues impacting our planet and ways we can take positive climate action.

2. Global Citizenship

Fulfil the actions on our Fairtrade Schools action plan including annual Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations, community coffee morning, assemblies and learning activities.
Develop learning on child rights.
Weekly Right focus at assembly.
Establish clear links for pupils on children’s rights and how they apply at all times.
Research and select charity organisations who need our help.
Plan and organise fundraising activities to support and raise awareness of the work of charity organisations.

3. Food and the Environment

Develop learning activities e.g. Farm to Fork to facilitate pupil understanding and knowledge acquisition.
Develop our school growing spaces and take responsibility for growing foods which we can use to cook/ prepare meals.
Maintain the family cook project.

SPORTS LEADERS

AIMS and ACTION PLAN

Aims:

Promote physical activity among pupils.
Develop leadership skills in sports leaders.
Enhance teamwork and inclusivity.
Encourage healthy lifestyles.
Create inclusive sports opportunities.

Action Plan:

Lead Activities: Involve leaders in warm-ups, small games, and recess activities.
Inclusivity: Engage all pupils.
Event Organisation: Help organise sports days and events.
Well-being: Promote mental health through exercise and be positive role models.
Feedback: Regularly evaluate and gather feedback to improve activities.
Recognition: Acknowledge leaders’ contributions during assemblies or with awards.

MINI VINNIES

AIMS and ACTION PLAN

Aims:

Develop empathy and social responsibility.
Encourage service to the community.
Promote leadership and teamwork.
Build awareness of social justice issues.

Action Plan:

Training: Introduce Mini Vinnies to the mission and goals of the group.
Community Projects: Organise charity events, fundraisers, and help local community members in need.
Awareness Campaigns: Run assemblies or create posters to raise awareness about social issues.
Reflection and Feedback: Hold meetings to discuss activities and share experiences.
Recognition: Celebrate contributions through awards or certificates.

YOUNG LEADERS OF LEARNING

AIMS and ACTION PLAN

Aims:

Promote a culture of lifelong learning.
Develop leadership skills.
Support peers in academic growth.
Encourage collaboration and innovation.

Action Plan:

Training: Provide leadership workshops focused on effective learning techniques.
Peer Support: Organise study groups and mentor younger pupils.
Learning Initiatives: Lead activities that promote creative and collaborative learning.
Feedback: Gather input from peers to improve learning approaches.
Recognition: Acknowledge efforts through certificates or special roles.

LAUDATO SI/JUSTICE AND PEACE GROUP

AIMS and ACTION PLAN

Aims:

Promote environmental awareness.
Support sustainable practices in school.
Encourage a connection to nature.
Promote environmental justice.

Action Plan:

Education: Carry out sessions on environmental issues and sustainability.
Eco-friendly Projects: Lead recycling drives, tree planting, and school garden initiatives.
Awareness Campaigns: Create posters and presentations to raise environmental awareness.
Sustainable Changes: Implement practical changes, like reducing waste in school.
Community Involvement: Engage the wider community in sustainability efforts.

LITERACY LEAD - BOOK CLUB

AIMS and ACTION PLAN

Aims:

Promote reading.
Support peers in improving literacy skills.
Create a positive reading culture.
Encourage reading diversity.

Action Plan:

Reading Events: Organise book clubs, reading challenges, and storytelling sessions.
Peer Support: Mentor younger pupils and help with reading activities.
Awareness Campaigns: Create posters or presentations to highlight the joy of reading.
Library Promotion: Encourage pupils to use the library and recommend books.
Recognition: Celebrate reading achievements through awards or events.

LITERACY LEAD - DESIGNERS

AIMS and ACTION PLAN

Aims:

Use design to make reading more exciting and creative.
Help pupils improve reading and writing through design activities.
Encourage teamwork by designing book covers, posters, or displays about stories.

Action Plan:

Creative Projects: Design posters, covers, or storyboards to show what they’ve learned from reading.
Choose Themes: Let children pick their favourite books or stories to design around.
Work in Teams: Encourage group work to share ideas and create fun designs.
Showcase Designs: Display the childrens' work in school to celebrate their creativity.