Shaftesbury Enterprise Impact Report 2020-21 (COPY)

ST ANSELM'S PRIMARY SCHOOL

Boys from Elmfield supported the children at St Anselm’s Primary School with reading. The children steadily became more confident, and it was heartening to see the children show increasing enthusiasm for reading to Harrovians every Monday. Faces became familiar, and helping the local community in Harrow was a rewarding experience for the boys.

VAUGHAN PRIMARY SCHOOL

As part of Shaftesbury Enterprise, a group of 25 boys from Newlands visited Vaughan Primary School, where they helped the pupils from Year 1 to Year 4 with phonics and reading.

“It was a delight to see how the children had progressed over the period of our visits, and it was obvious we were making a difference! As I took Reception, many of the pupils I had been assigned began by reading books with no words, but as the winter progressed, we moved onto confidently reading some tricky words. One of the highlights for me was solving a jigsaw puzzle with the pupils, which showed me that our presence was clearly an enjoyable part of their day. One of the best experiences came with the challenge of helping a pupil with impaired hearing to read. This was particularly difficult as we would have to speak into a microphone to help the pupil understand what we were saying. As the weeks went by, we noticed that the pupil was better able to understand what we were saying and repeat our words; this, in particular, made me realise just how fortunate we were. We all look forward to visiting the school next year.” C, Newlands

GRANGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Every Wednesday afternoon, ten boys from Druries visited Grange Primary School to mentor some of their top mathematicians. Every mentor was partnered with a student, and during each session they would tackle challenging questions and puzzles, while also revising old material and teaching them new material.

All the primary-school pupils were very engaged during the sessions. The children’s enthusiasm and willingness to learn was impressive. In addition, they all felt able to ask questions whenever they were unsure about what they were being taught.

The tutors also learned a lot from this experience. They learned the importance of creating a good learning environment i.e. to be friendly and build trust with the children, enabling them to ask questions about material they didn’t understand.

Feedback from Grange Farm pupils showed that the children in the maths group made significant progress during their participation in the project. They also show increased engagement and enjoyment of maths (in partnership with MathsMakers). Their attainment in practice SAT maths tests improved by an average of 8.1.

Boys in Moretons also welcomed students from Grange Primary School for an engaging one-to-one reading programme in the Vaughan Library on Wednesday afternoons. Thirteen boys from the Lower Sixth, Fifth Form and Remove volunteered, and they each partnered with the same primary school student for the duration of the project. This meant that not only could boys put in a sustained effort to improve a particular student’s reading over the 12 sessions from November to March, but they could also get to know the individual well, which helped them to be more confident in reading aloud.

Throughout the project, Moretonians aimed to improve the comprehension, literacy and vocabulary of the students. They did this primarily through listening to their partner read and regularly questioning them about the characters, plot and vocabulary in their chosen books. Boys learnt the value of praise in improving pupils’ confidence and enthusiasm. As well as one-to-one reading, boys employed other resources such as crosswords, wordsearches, code-cracking exercises and the New York Times’ ‘Intriguing Photos to Make Students Think’, all of which involved developing the primary school students’ vocabulary. Some other literary-based games, such as Scrabble, were also on the agenda.

In the final session of the programme, the boys hosted the primary school students for lunch at Harrow and then took them on a tour of the School’s historic buildings including Bill Yard, Chapel, the Fourth Form Room and the War Memorial Building. Overall, the Moretonians found it a highly rewarding experience, with one boy saying, “It was really rewarding to see them making progress each week.” It is clear that the students not only benefited from their time on the Hill, but also thoroughly enjoyed the experience, with some firm friendships forged. As the final session concluded, many of the Grange students said that they were sad they could not come back the following week for more reading.

The children demonstrated an increased enjoyment of reading during the project and made significant progress in reading from September to February, with their attainment level increasing by an average of six points during this period.

BYRON COURT PRIMARY SCHOOL

The Rendalls Shaftesbury Enterprise team worked with the children from Byron Court Primary School, supporting literacy and numeracy sessions for Years 5 and 6 and helping children who were struggling with spoken English. It was gratifying for the boys to see the progress that the children made from week to week, enabling them to have conversations in English with their tutors from Harrow.

The boys found the task of teaching young people how to read and write challenging at first. They honed vital skills such as patience and consideration as they helped the children construct a sentence or read a line. Spending time with the young people gave the boys an insight into the lives of their tutees.

NEWTON FARM PRIMARY SCHOOL

Boys in The Park had the opportunity to volunteer at Newton Farm Primary School. At Newton Farm, the Harrovians acted as teachers’ aides, helping in whatever capacity was needed, with a particular focus on reading. They worked with pupils in the Reception year (ages 3–4). They helped the children learn to break down words into individual sounds and then blend them into full phrases, "s. i. t., sit". They also thoroughly enjoyed being able to go into the playground with the children and participate in their different activities, be it painting with the future Picassos, or being chased mercilessly while playing tag!

“My fondest memory from the experience was when a little girl, with whom I had been working with in class, handed me a drawing she made just as I was leaving at the end of a session. It was a beautiful picture of a butterfly that she had coloured in, just for me! As I was thanking the teacher for the session, she told me that little girl was always reluctant to read and had struggled to make progress but had been making a consistent effort and showed great improvement since the start of our sessions. It was incredibly fulfilling to know that I had been able to make a positive impact and help the little girl. This memory will stay with me forever, and I still have that drawing pinned on my wall today!” – boy in The Park

ROXETH SCHOOL

This year, the Lyon’s Lower Sixth helped run the reading project at Roxeth School. Each boy was assigned to a student ranging from Year 3 to Year 5. The primary-school pupils would then select a book and read to Harrovians, who were tasked with correcting mispronunciations as well as helping the children improve their fluency. It was gratifying for the boys to see reading fluency progressively improve over the course of the term.

WELDON PARK

West Acre boys volunteered at Weldon Park, where boys read to primary-school children every week and occasionally helped them with their multiplication tables. This project enabled Harrovians to play a part in filling some gaps in knowledge and helping the children meet their attainment targets.

“Seeing the children excited and bubbling with curiosity when our team entered the door each week always brought a smile to our faces. These children’s learning had been affected by the recent pandemic and some had not been able to access the full extent of their education for a period. We all enjoyed this project and are grateful that Harrow offered us this opportunity to make a difference to these children.” – West Acre pupil

SHAFTESBURY HIGH SCHOOL

Each week, students from Shaftesbury High School visited boys in The Head Master’s at Harrow to participate in indoor sports activities. Activities ranged from five-a-side football, basketball and dodgeball to everyone’s favourite, bulldog! Working with children who have learning difficulties challenged Harrovians to take the initiative, have patience and be good listeners and communicators.

“I take pride in knowing that we have helped them to move outside their comfort zones and build their confidence and sports skills. For all of us working on this project, the most rewarding part of the experience must be seeing the smiles on their faces each week. I have loved every moment I have spent with Shaftesbury High across four of my five years at Harrow.” – pupil in The Head Master’s

HILLVIEW NURSERY

The Hillview Nursery project brought together teachers and students from various disciplines to support the youngest members of our community. Located in South Harrow, Hillview Nursery is the only maintained nursery in the borough. The school is a special haven where young children can explore and develop independently within an enabling environment. For the duration of the year’s Shaftesbury Enterprise programme, the children were taught eco-friendliness by Harrow School’s Sustainability Committee and responded brilliantly to the interactive lessons. To align with the ethos of environmentalism, thy constructed plant beds in the nursery garden using reclaimed wood, repurposing residual material to allow the children to grow their own produce. This project is testimony to the fact that true sustainability begins with the youngest generation, and we look forward to what it can accomplish in the future.

WOODLANDS SCHOOL

As volunteers at Woodlands School, Harrovians engaged in various ways with students with a range of disabilities. Activities included physical therapy, such as massaging and trampolining, as well as mental stimulation, largely through art and music. Wheelchair dancing was a favourite. They also took the children on walks in the park and played with them in the playground. This extensive curriculum at Woodlands clearly had a powerful impact on all the students.

“Personally, helping out at Woodlands has given me a new perspective on life. I find myself with a heightened sense of gratitude and a deeper understanding of the importance of helping others” – Harrow pupil

 

JUDO

This year saw the launch of Shaftesbury Enterprise Judo, an initiative aiming to give local primary-school pupils the opportunity to try the martial art.

Each week a different group of Year 5 pupils from Norbury School came to the Hill and received an introduction to the sport.  After going through a typically agility-based warm-up, they first taught the group how to fall safely. "Breakfalls" are an under-appreciated life skill, useful in many sports and certainly necessary to avoid injury when practising judo. The lesson moved on to the pinning technique kesa-gatame (scarf hold), giving them the chance to test their holds on each other under judo rules, which they found to be great fun. They were also given the opportunity to throw and pin some of the senior Harrow boys. The pupils left with a basic understanding of the sport and some of its key principles – and with the knowledge of a few Japanese words too!

The feedback from the Norbury School teachers was extremely positive and the pupils seemed thoroughly to enjoy the sessions.

ETON FIVES

Year 6 children from Vaughan and Roxeth Primary School came to Harrow School once a week to learn and enjoy the game of Eton fives. A group of around ten Harrow boys devoted their time and effort into bonding with and teaching the children about the sport.

Every week, a new group of children visited at Harrow. They were always curious about the odd-looking concrete courts and were amazed that you can hit a ball with your hands. The children were split into groups of six and were taught by two Harrow boys on each court. Harrovians began the session by showing the children the basic hitting motion in a game of fives, using a tennis ball. The fives ball has a hard, cork-like texture and, out in the cold, it would certainly put them off the game immediately!

Once the children had mastered the act of hitting a ball with their hands, a task that requires a good level of hand-eye co-ordination, they joined in a rally with Harrovians. Some children were able to do this immediately, but for others it was more difficult. Nonetheless, after several attempts, the children were able to take part in quite a good rally with their Harrovian opponent. Towards the end of the session, the Harrow boys leading each group were able to decide which activities their group of children should participate in, but the children often asked to play a game of their own choice, for example a mini three v three match or a game of catch.

Once the activities were over, the Harrow boys finished the session with a demonstration game of fives for the children. It was gratifying to witness the children’s shock and disbelief at the speed at which the game is played and the sharp reaction time of the players.

SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS RUGBY PROGRAMME

School of Hard Knocks (SOHK) is a unique long-term intervention programme that uses weekly rugby coaching, classroom sessions and mentoring to improve attendance and behaviour at school, with the ultimate aim of helping at-risk children avoid permanent exclusion and complete mainstream education in schools. In the sixth year of our partnership with SOHK, Harrow hosted the biggest SOHK festival yet with over 16 teams and 200 boys across Years 9, 10 and 11 from SOHK partnership schools. Three Harrow teams also took part with members of The XV refereeing as well as helping to run, coach and offer encouragement to all the boys. It was a tremendous success and showed how the spirit of rugby can unite boys from all different backgrounds.

DEBATING

‘Knowing what to say is sense, when to say it is intelligence, how to say it is wisdom, why and how to say it is enlightenment’. A group of Harrovians taught thinking, speaking and debating skills to local school children.

With these sessions, the children came to understand with greater clarity that speaking ability, reasoning and debating are skills used every day, in a group or even alone. They then had the chance to use their own critical thinking skills and were encouraged to debate on topics such as the banning of fast food, which brought to the fore ideas of personal freedom and protections and allowed them to practice picking apart the other team’s arguments.

Children learnt how to extend their arguments through competitive games of Just a Minute. Harrovians also taught their tutees the nuances of debating. They covered the analytical side of thinking, along with the invaluable debating skills of refuting, rebuking and rebutting. The Harrovians demonstrated just how crucial critical thinking is, and how to express those thoughts in a meaningful and persuasive fashion.

CHEMISTRY

The Shaftesbury Enterprise chemistry initiative saw Harrovians honing their communication and educational skills by inspiring young minds through fun, practical chemistry experiments. This proved to be an enriching experience for the young students and Harrovians alike. According to the Harrovians, assuming the role of a teacher and interacting with different children was the highlight of the initiative. "I enjoyed surprising the students with spectacles such as the flame tests. It was amazing to see how fascinated they were by it," said Harrovian M. Teaching them how to use a Bunsen burner was also a delight, as D explained. Moreover, reliving childhood experiences while passing down knowledge was a unique and gratifying experience for the Harrovians. P added that “The questions they asked also made you think more.” Teaching children, as described by N, was “a fulfilling experience”, while J expressed joy in teaching a fascinating subject. Y added that "even I learnt something about chemistry after this Shaftesbury experience."

The practical aspect of teaching was a highlight for some of the boys. "Teaching children how to use a Bunsen burner" was a particular delight for D, while others appreciated the opportunity to teach some basic chemistry through good practicals. The initiative was also a means for the boys to make a positive impact on others: P felt that "teaching people who don't have the facilities to learn more about science" was a rewarding experience, while Y described the simple factor of "helping others" as a great experience.

Ultimately, the boys found the chemistry project to be both enjoyable and rewarding. "It was fun doing the experiments, and it felt very rewarding teaching the kids," said J, while N expressed how he "enjoyed the reaction of the children when they saw fire," from the Bunsen burner.

The chemistry programme received high praise from the participating students. They found it to be “gratifying”, “interesting”, “enjoyable”, “fun”, “rewarding”, “engaging”, “insightful” and “inspiring”. We received outstanding feedback from the boys: of 26 people, 100% voted that they were more than satisfied with the project, and 100% voted that they would recommend it to a peer; nobody had any negative criticism about the endeavour. It was truly a success.

PHYSICS AND PROBLEM-SOLVING

Physicists in the Lower Sixth had the opportunity to participate in a problem-solving programme for Shaftesbury Enterprise. Working with other Sixth Formers from local schools, the Harrow team endeavoured to tackle challenging problems on a variety of topics from the A-level course and beyond. Using the IsaacPhysics programme and interesting problem sets, the pupils were able to get stuck into tricky questions that tested them to the limits of their physics and maths abilities.

“I really enjoyed pushing myself during the sessions and engaging in stimulating discussions with the other students, as we worked collaboratively in the Harkness room. I greatly appreciate having had this opportunity to improve and pursue my passion for physics in a less traditional fashion, outside the classroom! "

SIMON SINGH MASTERCLASSES

Professor Rama was asked how old he was. He replied, "If you divide my age by 2, 3, 4 or 6, there is always 1 left over, but if you divide it by 7, there is no remainder." How old is Professor Rama? With this question, Siew-Chiang Lim, Head of Maths at Harrow, kickstarted the newly established Online Problem Solving programme. This Shaftesbury Enterprise initiative is spearheaded by Mr Lim in collaboration with Dr Simon Singh (the renowned author) and Dr Junaid Mubeen (Countdown champion) from Parallel Circles.

In the programme, 52 Year 7 and 8 tutees from across the country joined a group of 16 Lower Sixth mathematicians to explore mathematical puzzles. The topics in each session ranged from number theory to geometry to coin puzzles. There were five 45-minute sessions in total, held on Wednesday evenings.

The programme was a huge success. It prioritised discussions, proofs and exploration, and as one of the Lower Sixth participants described, the tutees were genuinely excited when they discovered a new bit of maths for themselves. By making these sessions investigative rather than instructive, tutees engaged with proofs, alternatives and generalisations, often stumbling across new ideas. This allowed a better appreciation of the beauty and ingenuity of maths, which is often drowned out by the repetitive number-crunching of classroom exercises. Maths doesn't have to be boring, and the sessions elucidated this very well and inspired many bright minds along the way.

“I learnt a lot from the tutor’s perspective too. As Dr Simon Singh remarked, being a tutor is doubly hard because you need to possess not only an impeccable understanding but also amazing explanatory skills. Participating in the programme has helped me in both aspects. I also enjoyed meeting the tutees. Even though we communicated over Zoom, they were constantly engaged and enthusiastic (certainly more than I was during online lessons). Their positive energy made these sessions much smoother than I had anticipated.” – a Harrovian

Everyone who took part took something away, and we hope this programme will become an annual event.

PHILOSOPHY

The Shaftesbury Enterprise Philosophy programme had an amazing start. Year 5 students were enthralled with their introduction to the subject. The delivery, timings and lesson plans were refined over the course of the term, and, overall, everyone participating in the programme came away with improved critical-thinking skills, having been exposed to a range of philosophical tenets.

SHAFTESBURY ENTERPRISE ART PROJECT

This was a successful partnership programme between Harrow School and Grange Primary School. It was run by Elle Lycett, one of the Harrow School Art teachers, and Ms Gillespie, with Harrow boys playing a role in helping and providing opportunities for younger children to explore their artistic ideas and skills. The project aimed to establish and develop creative opportunities for children in the local area and promote greater engagement with the arts.

Throughout the year, children from Grange Primary School worked with Harrow boys to create a range of artworks, including Christmas-card decorations, handbags, mud sculptures, bracelets, necklaces and birthday cards, along with other sculpting and painting activities. Through this series of activities and assignments, children were able to express their creativity and develop their artistic skills.  

Most students agreed that the sport activities had improved their mental health and wellbeing. Comments included ‘I have more energy, I sleep better, I feel happier, I learn better in class after sport, I have learnt about sport, I know how to play better, I am more confident to join a club, I understand how to make friends through sport’.*

Students were very happy with the facilities and the coach. (For many students, this was the first time they had used an all-weather pitch.)

Students felt they had learnt a lot about places and people in the UK. (For example they had learnt about independent schools, about how an independent school like Harrow would share their facilities with ESOL students so that they could also develop their sport skills, and the importance of ‘community, common good, responsibility and engagement’.)

Students were very happy with the coach and believe that he brings the best out of them, as well as the activities being fun and engaging.

Feedback from the coach:

• Students showing respect.
• Student engagement, with students trying a variety of sports.
• Female students taking part in all the sessions (many female students had never participated in sport before).
• Some students are naturally very talented.
• Some students were making a conscious effort to clean up after the session.
• Students learning to ‘make up’ after a disagreement. (‘Two of the boys who had a disagreement in week 1, shook hands and hugged it out.)

(*Accuracy of comments has been corrected.)