The Autumn term has been full of festivities and celebrations for the Beliefs and Values department at Priestnall School.
We kicked off the term with our Anti-Bullying Week, focusing on how we can use our Power for Good to end bullying for good!
Students in the Anti-Racism Council created a toolkit of Power for Good strategies which are now signposted in every classroom for staff and students to use!
One of these strategies is celebrating our differences, which members of Diversity Club highlighted through a display about Odd Socks to showcase how diversity makes the world a better place.
In November, we held our annual Interfaith Week, exploring how religions have used their power for good to change the world. We held events each day at lunchtime to celebrate this.
One of the most popular events was our interfaith/belief debate with leaders of local places of worship. In attendance we had St Paul’s CoE Church, St Winifred’s Church, Emmanuel Church, Stockport Humanists and Cheadle Masjid. Students enjoyed debating philosophical questions with the faith leaders.
Building on our Power for Good theme, Diversity club created another display showing how, as a society, we ‘Shine brighter together.’
They used simple but powerful imagery of lightbulbs to illustrate how religions contribute to this idea.
During this week, we also held a space for students to pray or think about people who might need our Power for Good in the world.
Students could “light” a candle and take time to be reflective during this week of celebrations.
Throughout November, we also commemorated Movember. Staff and students got involved in growing moustaches (even if they were just stick-on!) to raise awareness for men’s health.
Our Cornerstones sessions this month were dedicated to providing students with strategies to support their health and wellbeing.
In December, as a part of our work to build connections with our local community, Priestnall School took part in St Paul’s CoE Church’s annual Christmas Tree Festival. Students in Diversity Club created a Christmas tree out of recycled cardboard and then printed the school logo to make baubles.
They focused on the four Advent candle colours and their meanings. On the baubles, they wrote things that bring them joy, who they love, their hopes for the world and who they want to bring peace to this Advent.
It has been a busy term for Beliefs and Values, filled with plenty of opportunities for students to share ideas and celebrate diversity. We’re excited to build on this more in the new year!