Extra Curricular Community Service
Community Service Thursday Afternoon Community Service Programme
At Rugby, Thursday afternoons are primarily intended as a time for service to others; this may be military service in the CCF, social or ‘community’ service, or service within the School. The number of pupils who are actively engaged in ‘community service’ outside the School each week exceeds 250. Whilst all the groups put the emphasis on taking responsibility, they are supported by a large number of st aff who offer ideas, help and transport to and from the various activities taking place. The various ‘community service’ groups are listed below.
Social Service Visiting
Pupils visit elderly people in their own homes and in residential homes. This gives the opportunity for companionship and conversation, and the chance to offer help in the home (cleaning windows, sorting, or just playing dominoes), shopping or unskilled work in the garden. The work calls for commitment and a strong sense of motivation; visits last at least one hour each week. The rewards come from the relationship you build with your ‘granny’ - who is invited into the School for a party twice a year.
Take a Break
This is a Warwickshire charity which offers support and friendship to disabled and terminally sick children in their own homes. Many of them attend special schools some distance from their homes and therefore lack the friends they make at school. Volunteers visit the children (often in pairs) and help them pursue their own interests, which might be swimming, cinema, shopping, etc. They are encouraged to build a relationship which helps the child cope more easily with the world and makes their life more fun. There is a training scheme run by Take a Break to help pupils cope with the disabilities they will meet.
Rainsbrook Prison Drama Group (Theatre in the Community)
This is a very exciting project in which we take part in joint drama projects with the trainees (aged 14-17) in the Rainsbrook Young Offenders Institute, an initiative that has been recognised nationally for its value. Although a little daunting at first, both pupils and inmates have found the experience hugely rewarding. Projects have varied from ‘Songs and Scenes from Grease’ to a devised piece about bullying, and updating fairy tales.
Rainsbrook Prison Reading Group
This group assists with the reading programme by providing one-to-one help to the trainees whose reading skills are poor because of the limited schooling they have had. The Young Offenders Institute has an excellent education department, but good reading skills are a prerequisite if the trainees are to benefit from it.
Rainsbrook Spanish Teaching
This is a venture that started this year and has been much appreciated by the inmates who have benefited from our pupils’ teaching. This is an ideal activity for A level Hispanists looking to extend their language skills. Key requirements include patience and organisational skills to prepare lessons.
Care
This group concentrates on work at five centres, Horizon House, the Stroke Club, the Sesame Day Centre, the Bungalow Day Centre, the Age Concern Day Centre, and Dewar Place, a residential care home. Horizon House is a centre for a large variety of mental disability, including Down's Syndrome, and here the help includes painting, pottery, play readings, knitting, etc. At the Stroke Club the requirement is much more for people to talk to those who attend, some of whom might be quite difficult to understand initially. The Sesame Day Centre is for disabled adults, and involves joining in with various activities, and sometimes taking people into town. Age Concern is a day centre for adults in all states of health. Dewar Place is a residential home for the elderly.
Guideposts
This is a new activity for the Thursday afternoon programme. Guideposts is a charity that cares for adults with Alzheimer's, learning disabilities and mental health issues. Students who opt for this activity will need to commit themselves to working rather uneven hours and to be versatile in what they are called upon to do. It is ideal for those considering a degree in medicine or related subjects.
Mayday Trust
Mayday Trust provides specialist support, accommodation and life skills training for vulnerable adults who find it difficult to manage with day to day living and need more than just a roof over their heads. Pupils are asked to support residents on a one-to-one basis, with things like literacy, budgeting, cooking, art and hobbies, or whatever seems appropriate.
Riding for the Disabled
We help mentally disabled children from the Brooke School with riding in the first half of the Advent and Trinity terms. In the second half of the Advent Term and in the Lent Term we become involved in a variety of projects ranging from selling charity Christmas Cards, helping with other activities at Brooke School, and running our own School's 'Pop Idol' competition for charity.
Bradby Young Persons Club
Assistance is given in the Clubhouse during most evenings each week 7-9pm. Work includes helping behind the bar (soft drinks and sweets), supervising regular activities such as table tennis and snooker, and helping with programmed events such as cooking, modelling, drama, and computing. Assistance on the Club's hard surface under lights is also part of the evening's activities. Qualified youth workers are always present to advise and assist.
Cub Packs
Helping run a local Beaver, Cub, or Brownie pack has gone very well this year and we have built a close relationship with some local packs.
Helping at the Oxfam, Cancer Research, PDSA Charity Shops
This involves helping at one of the many local charity shops, and promoting their interests within the School.
Helping at the Bareboards Charity Shop
Bareboards is a special local charity shop that collects and renovates second-hand furniture either to sell, with profits going to charity, or to give away to people setting up home on a very low budget.
First Schools Teaching
This group goes into local Infant and Junior Schools (age range 5-8, 8-11). Activities include reading, art and craft, CDT, games, and computing. A genuine interest in younger children as well as a willingness to take some authority and initiative in helping the staff are essential.
Homefield After-School Club
We have started to become involved with after-school clubs, run for children who cannot go home when the normal school day ends. This may involve organising games, helping with homework, reading etc., usually with younger children. This has run successfully at Homefield during this last year.
Bilton Grange Sports
This is a group of about 4 boys and 2 girls with all-round sporting ability and good rapport with 8-9 year olds who help with the sport at Bilton Grange, one of the local prep schools.
Homefield Sports
This is similar to the above activity, helping with slightly younger children at the pre-prep department.
St Oswald’s Sports
Pupils help at one of the local Junior Schools with their after-school soccer and netball clubs. This is a challenging job requiring an ability to manage large groups of children.
Social Service Music
This group consists of singers and instrumentalists who provide light entertainment on Thursday afternoons in local homes for the elderly, social clubs and schools. Musicians who enjoy rehearsing and performing are warmly invited to join.
Social Service Art or Photography
This group has produced artwork for various places in the community, like doctors' surgeries, the local hospital, and community centres. It also produces posters and canvasses for School and House plays and for School societies.
Astronomy in the Community
Astronomy in the Community is an opportunity for Rugby pupils to develop their understanding of astronomy, appreciate the School's impressive history of astronomical observation, and share this with the local community. Having been 'trained' through a series of initial Thursday afternoon seminars, pupils help lead observations in the School's Temple Observatory and give talks to youth groups (Brownies, Scouts, Church groups) and other m embers of the wider Rugby community.
Brooke School for Disabled Children
We visit Brooke School, which is a school for disabled children, where each Rugby School pupil is attached to a class. We either help out with the activities planned by the teachers, or plan a lesson or activity by agreement with the teacher. Preference is given to LXX (Year 12) pupils and those completing their Duke of Edinburgh's Award service section. Reliability and good humour are the chief requirements.
Partnership Scheme
This is an opportunity for mathematicians in the XX (Year 13) to experience what it is like to be on the other side of the desk. We currently visit Bilton High School and spend an hour each week teaching a group of Year 8 pupils. The process of delivering a lesson is very different from attending one, and participants quickly realize both the difficulties involved in actively engaging pupils and the delight of succeeding in it.
Primary Maths Club
This is another new venture. D Block (Year 11) pupils run a maths club for pupils from St Marie’s Junior School. The pupils prepare activities, games and lessons and deliver these each week to a group of gifted and talented pupils from St Marie’s.
Philosophy Zone
An activity for XX (Year 13) students from the Perspectives on Science (PoS), course who have completed their dissertations. Philosophy Zone is designed for groups of students from local Sixth Form centres, who are all preparing for Extended Projects. Zone sessions involve group discussion of philosophical and ethical ideas, such as genetic modification, cloning, animal rights, abortion and euthanasia, the mind/body problem, mental illness, personal identity, science and religion. The aim of the activity is to help students starting off on project work to enhance their thinking and communication skills and to explore ideas which could form the starting point for interesting projects. Rugby School students with experience in these areas will join the discussions as mentors.
Supporting First Schools Music Project
This is a new activity in which we welcome a group of primary school pupils into the School. Our pupils will engage in music workshops and will be expected to lend their expertise and experience.
Supporting First Schools Art Project
As above but in Art.
School Based Programme
These activities involve raising collective awareness of matters of world significance.
Amnesty International
The group supports Amnesty International in its work on behalf of political prisoners worldwide. This includes writing letters to prisoners and to governments who hold them, raising funds, increasing people's awareness of the issues, and developing the group's website.
Model United Nations
The Model United Nations (MUN) programme is a student-directed simulation of the United Nations. It allows students to participate as ambassadors of the UN, discussing global issues such as finance and economics, disarmament, science and the environment. The fundamental aim is to facilitate debate and positive solutions to critical issues of today under the banner of diplomacy and open perspectives. Skills such as research, resolution writing, public speaking, problem solving and consensus building are developed. Commitment is expected of delegates, who need to immerse themselves in the debate topics: knowledge and entertainment go hand in hand. Sessions alternate between 'Debate' and 'Lobbying and Research', so that delegates work to propose resolutions one week that are debated the next.
Green Club
Increasing environmental problems mean that sustainability is perhaps the key issue of today. The School therefore wishes to give sustainability policies (initiatives which reduce our environmental impact) a high profile within the community, with the initiative coming as much as possible from the pupils. Relevant areas include energy saving and resource use, scientific and design developments, community relations, food and drink, curriculum development.
Activities include developing energy efficiency schemes and awareness within the School. Members will lead on-going and one-off campaigns as well as supervising new projects such as a wind turbine or a worm farm and inviting world-renowned speakers.
Modern Languages Teaching
The Department of Modern Foreign Languages annually recruits a pupil teacher team. All recruits are fully trained and equipped for a satisfying life at the chalk face. Positions are available in French, German, Spanish and Italian. Pupils usually teach in pairs and can be promised enthusiastic, well motivated classes that bring together members of the teaching and non-teaching staff, their family and friends.
