By Filipe Gasper; Social Responsibility Consultant at the LEGO Group, developing social impact programming to support children’s playing and learning opportunities in the UK.
Imaginative, playful learning and community building can be powerful tools in helping schools in the UK address some of the challenges they're facing. Here’s the story of how one school used the power of play and community to turn their school into a place of joy and optimism, making a long-lasting positive difference for children and families in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Credit: ©Rehan Jamil Copyright: © Rehan Jamil
The school as a place for imagination and play
In spite of the challenges inherent to catering for a school population where 40% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, Thomas Buxton Primary School has found creative ways to ensure their educational approach remains inspirational and fun. Their secret is a simple one - they put play and children’s interests at the centre of their pedagogy. For example, replacing some of their core subject classwork with interactive STEAM live workshops on emotions, nature-based solutions and circular economy, to running a World of Work week where pupils role-play different careers, get a “salary” and choose how to “spend it”; or even involving children in organising and performing at their own music festival, aptly named “Buxtonbury”. They tap into children’s intrinsic love of learning by devising these original ways of engaging children on curriculum subjects. They’re developing children’s 21st century skills (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication), holistically preparing them for life ahead – in education, work, and beyond. In creating learning opportunities that are joyful, iterative, actively engaging , meaningful, and socially interactive. And just like going with the tide is much easier than against it, so is teaching when the pupils’ feel they have as much of a part to play as the teachers.
The school as a place for the community
Primary schools have always been a pillar of the community. A safe space where, through children, families and educators come together to celebrate life, culture and a shared hope for the future. In Tower Hamlets, the district with the smallest average home floorspace per person and one of the smallest amounts of public green space in the UK, this dimension of schooling becomes all the more important. The team at Thomas Buxton Primary School know this, and regularly open their doors to families as a way to nurture their relationship with the community. With year-round parent engagement activities – from (heavily discounted) food stalls, through free English and Wellbeing workshops for parents, week-long celebrations of father figures, or even parent-child “homework” awards (see below) – the school is able to foster a trusted relationship with the community which it forms part of. In doing so, they are not only addressing the social, cultural and economic needs of those around them, but they’re also turning parents into advocates for playful learning – at school, as indeed at home.
Primary schools have always been a pillar of the community. A safe space where, through children, families and educators come together to celebrate life, culture and a shared hope for the future. In Tower Hamlets, the district with the smallest average home floorspace per person and one of the smallest amounts of public green space in the UK, this dimension of schooling becomes all the more important. The team at Thomas Buxton Primary School know this, and regularly open their doors to families as a way to nurture their relationship with the community. With year-round parent engagement activities – from (heavily discounted) food stalls, through free English and Wellbeing workshops for parents, week-long celebrations of father figures, or even parent-child “homework” awards (see below) – the school is able to foster a trusted relationship with the community which it forms part of. In doing so, they are not only addressing the social, cultural and economic needs of those around them, but they’re also turning parents into advocates for playful learning – at school, as indeed at home.
Filipe Gaspar is a Social Responsibility Consultant at the LEGO Group, developing social impact programming to support children’s playing and learning opportunities in the UK.
