We are looking for volunteers to play a hands-on role within our Saturday booster programme for Year 5 pupils from our partner primary schools. It’s a great opportunity for the Sixth Form and also for our Year 10s, particularly for pupils participating in the DofE programme eager to complete their volunteering requirement. Of course, if pupils are interested in helping out who are not involved in the DofE, that’s great too. School sporting commitments will need to take priority, but volunteers can join before or after their training or matches.

The details

Pupil volunteers are needed to help run a summer term Saturday booster programme on-site at Emanuel School. The aim is to help local Year 5 pupils, who have fallen behind in English and Maths, to catch up, solidify learning and regain confidence. There will be 30 Year 5 pupils in total, in two groups of 15.

When:

  • 24th April to 3rd July (excluding half-term), 8.45 am to 12.30 pm (9 sessions)
  • 8th and 9th July, 8.45 am to 3.30 pm (2 days)

Content:

  • Curriculum-linked Maths and English
  • Fun, hands-on Science sessions run by Emanuel staff
  • Games sessions
  • Drama and Art sessions (8th and 9th July)

Structure: Every Saturday, each group of 15 pupils will rotate through:

  • Maths (50 minutes)
  • Literacy (50 minutes)
  • Science (50 minutes)
  • Games (40 minutes)

Timetable:

  • 9.00am to 9.50am: English and Maths
  • 10.00am to 10.50am: Science
  • 11.00am to 11.50am: English and Maths
  • 11.50am to 12.30pm: Games.
  • On the 8th and 9th July, the morning structure will be similar with the addition of Art and Drama after lunch. 

Volunteers will: 

  • Act as Teaching Assistants in English, Maths and Science sessions (open to Year 10 and above)
  • Design and run sports sessions (open to Sixth Form only); Year 10s may assist
  • Support Drama and Art during full day sessions (open to Year 10 and above)
  • Follow the appropriate social distancing and hygiene protocols in place at the time of each session.

Commitment

For Sixth Form: Ideally 2-3 sessions. If Sixth Formers are able to do more, that would be great. We want the primary school children to feel comfortable and get to know our student volunteers as this will be more fun and rewarding for everyone.

For Year 10s: If volunteering to fulfil the DofE requirement, we suggest that your son or daughter liaises directly with Mr Chuter (roland.chuter@emanuel.org.uk), our DofE Co-Ordinator, to confirm their interest and planned schedule. For the Silver award, children are required to volunteer for 24 hours. Given the pandemic, fulfilling this requirement has been tricky and hence options to do so are more flexible. By volunteering weekly, there is scope for DofE participants to fulfil their requirement, but this needs to be agreed in advance.

Many of the children we will be supporting have really struggled over the past year. They haven’t had the ability to access online learning for many reasons including limited or no access to a device, challenging learning environments and difficulty focusing remotely. Many of these children have not had access to books at home either. Parents have been afraid to let their children out, especially if someone in the household is shielding. Fitness and fresh air have therefore been compromised as well as learning. With the help of our volunteers and Emanuel staff, we are confident that these children will take huge steps in the right direction.

If your son or daughter is interested in volunteering and/or would like further information, please contact Lisa Irwin on partnerships@emanuel.org.uk.