Young Leaders offer support to local school

As part of their Enrichment programme, a number of Sixth Formers recently spent time in one of our neighbouring schools, offering English language support to some of its newer pupils. 

Overleigh St Mary’s CE Primary School recently welcomed 90 refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine. The children, aged 4 – 11 years old, are keen to learn English and our Sixth Formers spent an afternoon helping them with their speaking and reading. 

Headmaster George Hartley is proud of the role the Sixth Formers are playing: “The staff at Overleigh St Mary’s have done a fantastic job of settling in the children, all of whom have come to the UK from war-torn countries.

“These students used their Enrichment afternoon to offer language support, which was a perfect fit for the Young Leaders course they are following.”

Ethan Seddon (U6DUT) was one of the Sixth Formers to help out on the day.

He said: “We spent the afternoon helping children with the language they need for numeracy, including pronunciation of numbers and simple equations before enjoying a lively game of Handball.

“It was great to be able offer our time to help the children on a 1:1 basis and it was incredible to see how much progress they made in such a short time.”

Sixth Formers will continue to visit Overleigh St Mary’s but, as the Head of the Overleigh explained, they need more volunteers to make a difference to the children’s learning. 

She said: “We need more volunteers to help with 1:1 reading and indoor games sessions at school. 

“No special skills are needed and we will provide brief training and all materials. Ideally, we need people who can give 30 minutes, up to four times per week in normal school hours.”

If parents, or other members of the King’s community are able to help, please contact Emma Drew, the Headteacher of Overleigh by email at admin@overleighstmarysce.cheshire.sch.uk