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This year has been another exciting one for Social Impact at Channing, with an ever-growing programme of partnerships bringing together pupils from across our local community to learn, collaborate and thrive.
At the heart of our work is a simple belief: young people benefit when schools work together. Throughout the year, Channing has continued to strengthen its partnerships with local state and independent schools, community organisations and charities, creating opportunities for pupils to meet, share ideas and learn from one another beyond the classroom.
An important development this year was the creation of the Education Plus Alliance (EPA). Building on the success of our existing Education Plus programme, the Alliance brings together Channing, Brookfield Primary School, St Joseph’s Primary School, La Sainte Union School and St Aloysius’ College, alongside Highgate Newtown Community Partners (HNCP). By working more closely together, these schools are helping to create even more opportunities for young people to learn, grow and support one another.
Across the year, pupils from Channing and our partner schools took part in a wide range of clubs and enrichment activities, including Enterprise, Debating, Cookery, Problem Solving, Ceramics, Robotics, Science, Chess, Latin and Modern Languages. Working in mixed groups, they tackled challenges together, exchanged ideas and often discovered new interests along the way. For many, it was their first opportunity to work closely with pupils from another school, building confidence, communication skills and lasting friendships.
One of the highlights of the year has once again been The Hub, delivered in partnership with Highgate Newtown Community Partners, Brookfield Primary School and St Joseph’s Primary School. Through this weekly mentoring programme, Channing Sixth Form students support local primary pupils with SATs preparation while also helping them grow in confidence and settle into school life. Just as importantly, our Sixth Form mentors develop valuable leadership, communication and mentoring skills of their own.
Our Sixth Form students also continued to volunteer each week at Breakfast and Reading Clubs at Brookfield, Highgate Primary and Whitehall Park Primary School. By playing board games, leading creative activities and listening to children read, they helped create a calm and welcoming start to the school day.
One teacher reflected:
“Our children were always looking forward to Mondays and Wednesdays, the days when the volunteers joined us for Breakfast Club. They made a real difference to their mornings.”
The experience proved equally rewarding for our own students, with one volunteer commenting:
“I think I have been able to show more empathy towards students who struggled with reading.”
That sense of learning from one another runs through every partnership we build. Younger pupils gain encouragement, support and new experiences, while Channing students develop confidence, patience, empathy and the ability to lead with kindness.
Partnership also flourished through the Young Enterprise programme, which brought together students from Channing School and St Aloysius’ College to develop innovative business ideas. Working as one team, they combined creativity, enterprise and teamwork, with Seeds & Greetings progressing all the way to the UK Finals. It was a wonderful example of what can be achieved when students from different schools work towards a shared goal.
This year also saw the introduction of two new partnership clubs. The Ceramics Club, delivered with St Aloysius’ College, gave students the opportunity to explore their creativity through practical projects, while the new DJ Club introduced participants to music production, mixing techniques and collaborative performance. Both clubs have added exciting new dimensions to our partnership programme and have already proved hugely popular.
As our partnerships continue to grow, so too do the opportunities they create. Every club, mentoring session and shared project helps young people discover new interests, develop new skills and build relationships that extend beyond their own school communities. We look forward to building on this year’s successes and welcoming even more pupils into the programme in the year ahead.