It’s very rewarding helping to do things for other people and I’m keen to encourage our students to do that. Every student in Years 12 and 13 has a login to register to volunteer on vInspired. We currently have 140 volunteers in Year 12 alone; they completed 1,577 hours of volunteering between them from September to March.
We’ve developed a lot of good links with local organisations. Every September, organisations such as Age UK come and present what they do and what the students can get involved with at the volunteering fair which is held in school. Every Wednesday afternoon, for example, we have older people come in to see us, such as Jean who’s nearly 90, and we talk about history, about Bradford and its people and we work with the iPads and get the students helping them with apps. Bevan House is also a good one for students to get involved in, it’s a healthcare organisation and they run an after-school club for the children of refugees. Others go across to Clock House to volunteer, help with our sports department, or read to children at Frizinghall Primary School.
We have awards for volunteering so they can achieve a V10 (hours) and ones for 30, 50 and 100. We try and find as many ways we can help people as possible. BGS has a good reputation for working in the community. The students learn a great deal from it. They can develop their skills and it’s good to get them involved in working with other people. They can also add it to their UCAS personal statement or use it towards the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, which requires them to volunteer an hour a week for 18 months.
A lot of our students are keen to give back in some way in line with the school motto, Hoc Age, which means ‘get on and do’. It’s nice to hear from organisations when they give positive feedback saying how great our students are and how much they appreciate what they do. They’re really happy to provide references for students.
It’s good when you see how they mature as a result of volunteering. They have a lot to give to others and it’s great to see.
“A lot of our students are keen to give back in some way in line with the school motto, Hoc Age, which means ‘get on and do’. It’s nice to hear from organisations when they give positive feedback saying how great our students are and how much they appreciate what they do. They’re really happy to provide references for students.”
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