Community, Partnerships and Outreach

Bridge Programme

With the onset of lockdown we were determined to maintain the momentum of the recently launched Bridge Programme and our Bridge sessions quickly went online with children learning mathematics and English and their carousel of subjects through Google Classroom. iPads were lent to families where needed and instead of our ‘Information Afternoon’ we emailed parents advice about applying for bursaries and provided them with booklets about bursaries on offer from 37 independent schools around London. Once the Summer Term got under way, we were able to deliver live online sessions to the students. To manage the remote sessions as effectively as possible, pupils were divided into smaller groups to tackle task-based challenges and more eager Sixth Form volunteers were recruited to provide additional support. For many Bridge students it was their first experience of live online lessons and remote teaching using Google Classroom.

Duke of Edinburgh

Although the Duke of Edinburgh summer expeditions were postponed, we were delighted that our DofE students were awarded a certificate of social value for donating 3,224 hours of voluntary service worth over £14,000 to our local community. The DofE reviewed key aspects of the programme to sustain it through the lockdown and as a result girls engaged in a variety of home based activities such as preparing meal parcels for elderly neighbours or contributing to the Missing Maps project (volunteering); taking part in online fitness classes or using training apps such as Couch to 5K (physical); and learning about new subjects through online seminars or developing new talents such as how to build a website (skills).

PPE provided to frontline care home workers

Thanks to the help of Old Dolphin, Caoimhe (Class of 2015), and our local MP, Ruth Cadbury, we linked up with Certitude, one of London’s leading adult social care providers, to supply our protective laboratory goggles to staff in care homes in Hounslow.

Face Masks

We were inspired by Nancy, Lower Sixth, who during the lockdown balanced her studies with making face masks for the local community and drawstring laundry bags for Gloucester’s NHS ‘Rapid Response Appeal’.

Hockey

During lockdown our 1st XI Hockey Squad ran 3000km in 30 days raising over £9,000 for NHS Charities Together. The team of 20 runners (17 players and 3 coaches: Mr Barratt, Taj and Mrs Gordon) ran 5km each, per day, for 30 consecutive days. They were also supported by hockey internationals from East Grinstead Ladies 1s (including Sophie Bray and Tess Howard) who ‘virtually’ joined them one evening live-streaming their support on Instagram.

Izzy Helping in the Community

Izzy’s work with the Hammersmith and Fulham Mutual Aid Group was featured on the BBC News Report, Corona Kindness at the beginning of the lockdown. With her GCSEs cancelled, Izzy, Year 11, volunteered as an administrator for the Avonmore and Brook Green Ward working with local organisations, charities and the council to support vulnerable neighbours and members of her local community.

Supporting Community Initiatives

During the pandemic crisis our school community collected and donated food to the Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank. We also supported the Power to Connect campaign – an initiative launched by Battersea Power Station and Wandsworth Council to combat digital poverty and close the educational attainment gap during lockdown – by donating used laptops and tablets for refurbishment which were given to children without access to the internet.

Social Impact Project

Sophie Price and Maddie Chin, Lower Sixth, were this year’s winners of the Social Impact Project having created and launched the Pulsar Science Magazine for primary school children; the magazine is full of informative and entertaining articles to encourage a lifelong interest in science and learning beyond the classroom. Our Bridge students received copies of the first issue of the magazine and Sophie and Maddie hope to widen the circulation to local primary schools around London. Since the pandemic, the magazine has also been made available online.

ActionAid Fundraising

Nina, Year 8, raised more than £8,000 for ActionAid after hearing about the work that they do at a talk at the school’s PPE Forum from Olivia Dandeker, Events and Community Engagement Officer at the global charity.

Debating Workshop with Local State Secondary Schools

Godolphin and Latymer hosted a debating workshop for students at local state schools, led by Julian Bell, Godolphin’s Head of Debating. Students in Years 7 and 8 from Avanti House, Orleans Park, Sacred Heart and Twyford Academy learnt how to structure arguments, listen and respond to different views, express themselves with clarity and confidence, and prepare convincing speeches.

Mentor Jr.

Our new Head Girl, Jessie Pitsillides, and her fellow Sixth Formers have been providing a free online mentoring and tutoring service to local primary school pupils during the pandemic crisis. Jessie set up Mentor Jr. earlier in the year after helping some local children with their maths and seeing what a difference the extra time and support could make to their learning. Mentor Jr. aims to reduce educational inequality within our society by providing free and easily accessible educational support. Parents across the UK can now book free 45 minute mentoring or tutoring sessions for their children.