RGS Working with the Community – Celebrating Outreach

Each January the Independent Schools Council (ISC) leads a census which forms the authoritative source of data providing a picture of where independent schools sit within the UK’s education landscape.

The Census, which has been conducted annually for the past 45 years, is completed by the 1,326 schools in ISC membership. It is an important resource for the independent education sector, as well as for government, policymakers and opinion formers. 

In the year from January to December 2018, RGS formed partnerships with 41 different state first, primary and secondary schools.  This involved 1,382 pupils attending 38 events over the twelve months.

At the Senior School, examples of events for primary schools have included an Art & Dance Workshop with the local Rivers Multi Academy Trust group of 7 primary schools, our annual Science ‘Eggstravaganza’ which in 2018 hosted 84 pupils from 12 local state primary schools, an English Creative Writing event promenading around the School, a Primary Schools Netball Tournament for 11 local state schools, 2 free Netball Coaching Masterclasses, 3 Modern Foreign Language Mornings and a Sport Open Morning. 

In 2018 we have begun an Outreach Programme for secondary schools and in the Michaelmas term hosted 59 pupils from 5 state secondary schools at a Modern Foreign Languages event. We also invite several local state schools to our Careers and Higher Education Expo.

At RGS The Grange, local first school children visited for a team building morning and an Under 8s Football and Netball Festival.  RGS Springfield has provided a venue and transport for local nurseries to participate in Forest School and sporting activities.

We are hoping to continue to build on the success of 2018 by expanding our Outreach programme to work with even more local state school children in the community as part of our charitable status.