Grendon Church of England Primary School, in Northamptonshire, has introduced a mentoring programme with a difference - it is run by pupils for pupils.

The judges were impressed by the programme, in which pupils are trained in helping classmates to self-assess - through one-to-one sessions - their emotions, feelings and social, moral and spiritual development.

The school’s global curriculum sets learning entirely within the context of a specific country, with children immersed in that country’s religion, music, literature, politics, history and geography. For example, when learning through the theme of Brazil, pupils were moved by the issue of Amazonian deforestation and sought action by directly lobbying the Brazilian government, and were subsequently invited to the Brazilian embassy in London to challenge the minister for climate change.

In a separate study of the US, pupils considered the work of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, as well as the causes of the American Civil War, as they sought understanding on gender equality, racial discrimination, citizenship, conflict and independence. A school spokesperson said: “Pupils are given the autonomy to explore their own lines of enquiry and translate the skills they acquire into meaningful actions to create real and significant impact at a local, national or international level.”

The judges noted how imaginative learning environments - bearing a closer resemblance to theatre sets than classrooms - form stunning, interactive spaces for children to become fully engaged.
And they were particularly impressed with the whole-school approach to mentoring involving all children. “This is a very happy, supportive school where everyone knows they are valued,” the judges said.

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