Using our 'voice' to bring about change 

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Fairtrade is all about justice and making the right choices to help others.  Pupils learn that the decisions we make can affect people who we'll never meet.  Pupils learn that the decisions and choices made in one part of the world directly impact those in another part of the world. In 2025, the focus of Fairtrade is to find out about how climate change is affecting the lives of Fairtrade growers. This award gives pupils opportunities to learn about the lives of pupils in other parts of the world. They are making comparisons and understanding that people around the world have similar needs and values. This learning supports our Christian ethos and also opens up many topics for higher thinking skills and discussion. 

 

Back in 2013, we decided to work towards becoming an accredited Fairtrade School. We wanted to add an international dimension to our learning, involve the local community and also find a project that the children could lead themselves. So much has been achieved since we were first accredited at the highest level for the Fairtrade Achiever Award in 2014. The award has been renewed every three years meaning that we have to develop what we are already doing, ensuring that we have the learning embedded in the curriculum across a range of subjects.  

 

We were delighted with the assessors' comments which included: 

" This is an excellent application where you have considered the aspects of the FairAchiever award and worked to ensure you have met the criteria. You have not only enabled the children to recognise the FAIRTRADE Mark but understand what it represents.

We encourage you to keep working – both staff and students -to achieve the goals of your action plan and to undertake activities to engage your local community, go further in embedding the Fairtrade ethos into both lessons and everyday schooling. The learner audit clearly shows the impact of the schools actions, all students recognise the Fairtrade mark and have a good understanding of what it represents.  It is really great to see how widely Fairtrade is embedded in your school – by integrating the concept across your school curriculum and running lots of Fairtrade school events."  June 2023

 

What does Fairtrade mean to the children? 

Younger children understand the meaning of the Fairtrade symbol in simple terms such as the farmers receiving a fair price for their produce. Older children are exploring world trade and investigating who makes most money from a pack of coffee, a chocolate bar or bananas. They also learn about the huge variety of Fairtrade products available. 

 

What about the impact?

Part of working for the Fairtrade Award is to take the message out to a wider audience. It's important that this comes from the pupils. Each year, some pupils will write to heads of retail operations, asking them to consider selling more Fairtrade products, such as cotton in their clothing.  They generally receive replies which encourages them to see how they can use their 'voice' to make a change. In the past, pupils held a meeting with the then MP, Jeremy Hunt and more recently, in 2025, a group of pupils presented Fairtrade farmers' stories to the congregation at St Peter's Sunday service. 

        Y6 with Jeremy Hunt