Brabourne CE Primary School: Small school, big impact

Andrew Stapley is Headteacher at Brabourne CEP School in Ashford, Kent ACT’s Primary School of the Year 2024. He talks to us about how Citizenship is a powerful force for developing confident, compassionate, and proactive young citizens – and how school size is no barrier to creating change.

Building a Culture of Kindness, Responsibility, and Action

I attended a small primary school in a village with just around 60 pupils. There, our teachers placed a strong emphasis on good manners and actively encouraged us to engage with and give back to our local community. I vividly remember participating in initiatives like delivering food to those in need and taking part in projects such as blackberry picking, where we made jam to raise funds for charity.

Later, I pursued studies in French, Italian, and Spanish at university and spent several years living in Italy after graduating. This experience really deepened my passion for broadening perspectives through the understanding of different cultures.

My own approach to Citizenship in our school has been shaped by these experiences and a desire to inspire our pupils to contribute positively to the world around them. At Brabourne, we encourage our children to “step out, step up, and speak out.” We believe that as adults, we must model good manners, high expectations, and promote kindness and compassion. Our older pupils embrace this responsibility, mentoring the younger ones.

As a teacher, one of the most rewarding aspects of my career is guiding our pupils to become well-rounded, informed, respectful, and proactive citizens.

Primary School of the Year Award: A Small School with a Big Impact

It is truly an honour to have been awarded Primary School of the Year. As a small village primary school with just 105 children, we’ve demonstrated that even with limited staff and resources, our pupils and the wider community can make an impact both locally and globally.

This recognition celebrates not only the hard work of our staff but also the enthusiasm of our pupils, who were thrilled to achieve this award. They have been the driving force behind our efforts to create positive change. Additionally, it highlights the invaluable contributions of our community volunteers, who play a vital role in fostering a spirit of active citizenship among the next generation. Their support is essential to our vision, and we are grateful for their commitment to our school. 

Our school’s vision and values—respect, responsibility, courage, and hope—guide us in teaching pupils to engage with their surroundings and explore global issues. We encourage them to cherish equality, value diversity, honour democracy, and welcome everyone. Despite being a relatively non-diverse school, we have attracted other schools to observe our commitment to promoting inclusivity in a rural setting.

Cultivating Global Perspectives with Integrated Citizenship Teaching

All of our staff members play a crucial role in designing the curriculum and sharing our vision. Our teachers come from diverse backgrounds, speak various languages, and several hold degrees in foreign languages. Teachers have also broadened their cultural knowledge through international collaborations, exchanging pedagogical insights with foreign counterparts via correspondence and Zoom meetings. We recently achieved full three-year accreditation from the British Council for our international curriculum.

We have actively participated in research on primary citizenship with the University of Kent, where lecturers observed our citizenship classes and engaged with pupils. This has established our school as a centre for academic research in this area, leading to staff development focused on citizenship teaching. Other schools have visited us to learn how to implement similar practices, following recommendations from our improvement advisors. 

At the heart of our curriculum is a global perspective, with citizenship integrated throughout our topics and key texts. We intentionally choose themes that span various countries and issues, such as studying chocolate and South America, exploring rainforests in Indonesia, and examining historical events like the Windrush and the Titanic’s emigration story. We create connections across classes and over time, emphasising concepts like “movement and people” and “change and continuity,” which highlight the global history and geography of humanity. Our core English texts celebrate diversity, multiculturalism, democracy, and equality, including titles like Running on the Roof of the World, Running Wild, and The Journey. These books explore themes of migration, acceptance, justice, and intercultural knowledge. For Running Wild, we connected with a school in Indonesia via Zoom, engaging in discussions about conservation, a central theme of the book.

Alongside our Citizenship curriculum, we promote cultural capital by providing opportunities for all pupils to engage with the wider world. This includes visits to the Houses of Parliament, local mayor’s chambers, food banks, homeless shelters, mosques, and synagogues. Our values encourage children to respect others, take responsibility for their communities, have the courage to speak out, and foster the hope that they can make a difference. The slogan “Everyone is welcome, loved, valued, equal, free to be themselves… at Brabourne” is integrated into our collective worship.

Pupils are encouraged to take the lead on issues close to their hearts. Initiatives include fundraising for Down Syndrome Awareness Day, visiting and supporting homeless shelters, litter-picking in Ashford, and writing letters to neighbours and MPs about important social issues. They also run their own councils, such as the Eco Team and House Captains, and undertake “Stepping Out the Door” homework to positively impact their communities outside of school hours.

 As a Church of England school closely connected to our local church, we aim to serve as a focal point for the community, fostering a sense of belonging and we prioritise engaging pupils with their surroundings. They have served tea and cakes to elderly villagers, participated in village beautification projects, and visited care homes. Our supportive local community contributes time and skills to help manage school grounds through our “Ground Force Team,” promoting wildlife and teaching various skills across generations. We also participate in the Archbishop’s Young Leaders Programme, where pupils undertake personal and group challenges that involve community projects and wider international charity work. 

We also emphasise a global perspective, forging partnerships with projects in India, Pakistan, Martinique, and Germany. Our curriculum now includes Chinese alongside French, and pupils have connected with the broader world through podcasts featuring guests like Hong Kong refugees, parish councillors, and local MPs.

The transformation of our school grounds into a wildlife haven showcases the dedication of our pupils and community. Through initiatives like building bat boxes, wildlife ponds, and wildflower patches, our Eco Team has revamped the overgrown school garden on a limited budget. This effort has fostered a sense of pride and ownership among pupils, who have launched a mini “farm shop” to sell produce, with profits reinvested into sustainability projects. Our school has also received the Wilder Kent Gold and RHS Level 5 awards, reflecting our commitment to environmental education and action.

For our small school of just 105 children and four teachers, citizenship is integral to our educational philosophy. We strive to provide our pupils with a deep understanding of the world, empowering them to become active, engaged citizens who can make a positive impact both now and in the future.

Overcoming Challenges: Prioritising Citizenship at the Core of the Curriculum

One of the main challenges teachers face is the pressure of managing a packed curriculum and the need to “fit it all in.” However, we view Citizenship not as an additional task but as a core component of our ethos and curriculum. In a small school, another hurdle is finding the time to engage pupils in meaningful activities such as visiting care homes, planting bulbs in the village, talking to the homeless, participating in litter-picking, or interviewing MPs and refugees.

These experiences require a deliberate commitment from our school community, but we believe they are some of the most impactful opportunities our children will encounter during their time with us.

By empowering children to make a difference in their communities and the world, we align with our school’s vision. Children are remarkable individuals who genuinely care about the world around them. If we nurture their passion for change, the possibilities of what they can achieve are truly endless. Pupil voice is a very powerful thing.

Looking Ahead: The Essential Role of Citizenship in Building Young People’s Futures

I believe Citizenship should be highlighted in the Curriculum and Assessment Review and recognised as a vital aspect of our role as educators in shaping the next generation of responsible adults. It is more than just a discrete subject. For our school, it serves as the primary driving force that encompasses all subjects and reflects our aspirations for what we want our children to become and the future world we wish them to shape.