UCS holds a deep-rooted connection with the local community and is committed to maintaining strong links with partner primary and secondary schools as well as local charitable organisations. So much time and energy goes into compiling a partnerships and community programme for our Sixth Form that is at once comprehensive and inspiring. It is an invitation for all members of the Sixth Form to go and make a positive difference to the society they are part of – by taking advantage of the opportunity to spend one afternoon a week volunteering.
There are many placements on offer, including local primary, secondary and specialist schools, in addition to food banks, sports coaching, charity shops and care homes. Every pupil gets involved in this programme and their work at over 30 charitable bodies is highly regarded. They develop a number of skills and their contributions are greatly valued by both the pupils themselves and the charities.
Our Sixth Formers also have an ongoing partnership with a local food bank, collecting more than three tonnes of food annually. On an international front, meanwhile, there is the chance to volunteer on overseas trips to Romania and India, where – until the pandemic struck – our students had some deeply affecting but wonderful experiences.
Currently, Year 12 and Year 13 pupils dedicate their Friday afternoons for a term to local community-based projects. Their endeavours include working in tandem with Age UK Camden to produce PPE, establish a pen-pal scheme with care-home residents, and perform in weekly online lunchtime concerts. Another group channel their creativity into writing and illustrating short stories intended for young children at local primary schools.
Meanwhile, contributing to the open-source collaborative project Missing Maps is a popular option, with pupils helping to digitally map areas where humanitarian organisations are trying to meet the needs of people; our pupils have mapped over a thousand buildings and hundreds of miles of roads from Tanzania to Bangladesh. Sixth Formers have also led the production of Christmas cards for the charity Cards of Care to send to care-home residents.
Voices and Views
