Impact Report 2022

12 ST EDWARD’S, OXFORD

4. Asylum Welcome St Edward’s has been working closely with Asylum Welcome for two years and this year the organisation was voted by our pupils, teachers and parents as Charity of the Year. Our relationship with them has gone from strength to strength this year and we have engaged in multiple projects to assist with the complex situations many of their clients face daily. A couple of examples include: Weekly Ukrainian teenage socials with Teddies pupils that were based around core activities, ranging from pizza making to rounders, cultural awareness sessions to t-shirt tie–dyeing! These sessions then grew to include ‘English Lessons for School Subjects’, helping prepare the Ukrainian students for the UK curriculum in Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Geography and English Literature. Teddies have also welcomed six of these pupils to School on a permanent basis or for as long as they should need it. We also welcomed over 300 Afghan refugees in partnership with Oxford City Council and Asylum Welcome for events on the School site, including activities for children, sport and shared meals. The St Edward’s pupils were hosts at these events and were an important part of making the new arrivals feel welcome. Our staff and pupils were able to see first-hand the challenges posed by communication barriers and cultural differences so it was a huge learning experience. We still look forward to the day that our School football team may actually beat their Youth football team (we keep trying!) and everyone loves the fun pizza evenings we enjoy together afterwards.

3. Northern House Academy

THE RELATIONSHIP WITH ST EDWARD’S IS INVALUABLE TO OUR STUDENTS, SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR SOCIETY AND WHO DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO MIX WITH OTHERS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL DUE TO THEIR ADDITIONAL NEEDS. WHAT RACHEL AND ST EDWARD’S HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE HAS WIDENED OUR PUPILS’ VIEW OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE PEOPLE THAT SURROUND THEM. BEX HOLMES HEAD OF SCHOOL, NORTHERN HOUSE ACADEMY Northern House is a specialist school for children with learning and behaviour challenges. St Edward’s pupils visit Northern House to help in classrooms and with PE and Northern House visit St Edwards’s for games, crafts and activities. Musicians play in a selection of classrooms at Northern House and introduces their pupils to different musical instruments and sounds. As a CAS project, one group of IB students fundraised £300 to purchase musical instruments for Northern House including 10 recorders, 10 mini xylophones and three mini keyboards. They also donated second hand guitars and keyboards.

SAYING “THANK YOU” FOR YOUR AMAZING EFFORTS IN BRINGING THIS TOGETHER AND FACILITATING THIS EVENT WILL NOT DO YOU ENOUGH JUSTICE. AIHAM AL ASWADI FUNDRAISING ASSISTANT, ASYLUM WELCOME