In January 2007 Dobcroft Junior School became the first school in the region to be awarded the Global Citizenship Award at the highest level 3 - Enhanced. We submitted our portfolio in December and were delighted that the judgement of our enriched whole school curriculum and ethos which gives a high profile to global citizenship took the school to the highest award.
The involvement of the whole school community in campaigning against poverty, and our efforts in fund-raising in a sustainable way to make a difference to others, has helped raise our own awareness about the needs of our global community.
Our cross curricular approach and the way in which we try to make learning relevant and purposeful has helped enormously in looking beyond Dobcroft and Sheffield to much wider horizons and concerns. Classroom learning is enriched by a full programme of extra-curricular activities including visits and visitors to school.
Ongoing links with overseas development workers and charities keep us in touch with the needs and changes within communities that we support and give us personal insight into situations and lives that differ from the circumstances in which we live. Read about
Foodaid, Eye Surgery in Uzbekistan and
TASTE.
Our regular philosophy circles open our minds and eyes to issues that may not affect us immediately or personally but which do touch humanity. We all get the chance to debate, airing our views and having the opportunity to listen and share ideas and then maybe changing our minds or positions. Philosophy helps us to listen, think and reason.
Read our case-study which will appeared in the Teaching Thinking magazine!
Our structured assembly scheme which covers a wide range of areas and subjects in an interesting and up-to-date way helps keep the school community aware of current issues - those that can be celebrated and those issues of concern that we too can address, "trying to make a difference". Can you be a good global citizen?
Our whole school approach and the way in which we involve all members of our community in becoming 'good global citizens' was also recognised by the recent
Ofsted (December 2006).
The inspectors wrote in their letter to the children.
"You are some of the most responsible and caring children that we have met. The school’s values, which we know that you appreciate very much, help to make sure that you are very good citizens and will be valuable members of society in the future."