Why The Global Community?

 

 

At the heart of our global learning is the idea of interconnectedness or interdependence between people and the environment. This includes local and global connections as well as those that are rooted in the past, present in our lives today and those that may affect us in the future. 

 

At St Peter's we work hard to make global awareness relevant for our pupils. This is done in different ways.  

 

We have a long-term connection with a school in Cannes, France. Our Y5 and Y6 pupils write to a penpal and also meet them virtually twice a year. This is a great opportunity for our pupils to put their French language skills into practice. It is also very exciting for our pupils to speak to the child they have been corresponding with in France.  Each year we hold a very exciting French Day when the learning is focused on finding out more about French culture and language. Pupils run a cafe selling fresh croissants and glaces!

 

International Award

In order to obtain the British Council's prestigious International Award we need to show that we have live links with at least three schools overseas in the year of submission. Our pupils have had the opportunity to both meet with pupils and share learning with children in Colombia, Greece, Uganda and Czechia.   As well as engaging in joint learning projects, groups of pupils have met overseas pupils online. These projects give pupils the chance to talk and find out what they have in common, find out what school is like in different countries and also discuss aspirations about the future of the world they share.  In recent years, we have also been privileged to welcome pupils and staff members from Ukraine and have learnt a lot from them. 

 

Fairtrade Achiever Award

We have been a Fairtrade school for 10 years now and have embedded learning about the lives of farming/ producer communities around the world.  Pupils from YR up, learn about a different Fairtrade product and the challenges faced by the producing communities.  It is fascinating for children to learn about the lives of children in different countries around the world and the standard of learning from this Fairtrade focus is very high, particularly through discussion and action.  At the same time, children learn about injustice and trade across the world. They are encouraged to take the Fairtrade message out to their families and wider community. As an example, children have presented at the Sunday service at St Peter's Church and they also hold regular sales of bakes made with Fairtrade ingredients.  

 

The Fairtrade message in 2025 is very much focused on how climate change is affecting the poorest countries in the world, the most.  The farming communities that we learn about have suffered from flooding and droughts as a direct effect of climate change.  Older children are able to articulate that the decisions we make in our lives, can directly impact those who live many thousands of miles away. 

 

This of course fits perfectly with our ECO Award. We have been a Green Flag school for several years now and have also won additional awards for specific areas of focus.  Again, pupils begin to understand that what might seem like small changes made in school, will form part of a much bigger commitment to action.