EALSDON Primary School has become the first recipient of the new Coventry Peace Award.
The competition was launched last year to give young people a voice in promoting peace and reconciliation at a personal, local and global level.
Through the award Coventry Lord Mayor’s Committee for Peace and Reconciliation wanted to encourage and support schools to promote peace and reconciliation.
It will also enable them to collaborate on projects and raise awareness that Coventry is an international city of peace and reconciliation.
After assessing the evidence from Earlsdon, Peace Award team member Balbir Sohal congratulated the pupils and staff at the school who she said had produced some excellent work.
“It really is embedded within the curriculum and they are also using many opportunities outside the school.
“The breadth and depth of what they have done clearly merits the Peace Award. ”
She added they had set a high standard.
Earlsdon Primary has received a certificate signed by the Lord Mayor and valid for three years.
The school’s curriculum lead Wendy Smith, said the award came after a few years of developing the children’s understanding of peace through the curriculum, teaching them about their place in the world as local and global citizens.
“Gaining the Peace Award is a great morale booster and motivator to help us to keep on finding the joy and kindness in these uncertain times.
“The work has helped staff and children find and respond to the awe, wonder and kindness in the world around them.
“It has helped us discover and learn about the rich heritage of our wonderful city and make connections with our local community that staff and children will continue to build on and take with them as they grow.
“The Peace Award has been a wonderful way for us to celebrate and share the learning that we do in school.
“For staff it is a well-deserved acknowledgement of all the hard work that they put in to planning and providing values-based learning experiences for our children to be a part of.”
Earlsdon’s most recent Ofsted praised the school for being ‘at the heart of the community’ with ‘caring staff who welcome and value all pupils’,
“Pupils say that there are ‘lots of friends and kind people’ that are always there for them.
“Pupils thrive as citizens because staff prioritise learning about life in modern Britain.”
During its first year, Coventry Peace Award focused on schools, but as it grows in future years the award will also be offered to communities and businesses.
The scheme is free and schools which join have access to a database of peace-related resources to help them develop student projects.
Chair of the Lord Mayor’s Committee Philip Brown said the award had got off to a very good start with 18 schools having already joined.
He added Covid had meant schools’ attention had been somewhat diverted so they were delighted that, even with all the extra work coping with the pandemic, Earlsdon Primary still managed to fulfil the criteria.
Visit coventrypeaceaward.uk/schools-enrolled for all the schools which have joined the scheme.
Peace Award Trophy Competition
THE PEACE Award Team is inviting people to submit their designs for a Peace Award Trophy.
A £50 prize is up for grabs for the chosen design.
Entries can come from individuals, schools or any other organisation.
Visit coventrypeaceaward.uk/peacetrophydesign/ for more information.
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