Partnerships

In addition to developing our pupils academically, we want to see them mature socially and ethically. At Westminster we are committed to providing a holistic education with Enterprise being a central part of the boys’ learning: allowing them to realise what it takes to live as compassionate, contributing citizens both now and in the future. Giving to good causes and having an awareness of the world around us is a major part of the School’s ethos. Broadly speaking there are three main components to what we do: fundraising, community involvement and sustainability. Enterprise is such a staple feature in the day-to-day life at the school that each form has a specially assigned Enterprise Man to coordinate these events.

Fundraising

In an average year, the Under School raises somewhere in the region of £50,000, allowing us to support a range of charities. When selecting charities, we look at those that may provide as immersive an experience as possible, meaning pupils feel involved in the process; thus, fundraising has been focused on two charities in recent years: The Hands Up Foundation, which provides replacement limbs for individuals caught up in the Syrian conflict and the Cardinal Hume Centre which houses unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) and is just a stone’s throw away. Activities which support this run throughout the year including the Christmas Fair, the Summer Fête and the Readathon. Other smaller events that we support range from Jeans for Genes, Children in Need, Christmas Jumper Day, Woolly Hat Day, World Book Day and Comic Relief. Initiatives pioneered by the pupils themselves including a foreign coin collection, an ice-lolly sale, a hot chocolate sale, and an unforgettable ‘laughathon’.

Community

The wonderful thing about community involvement is that it provides positive experiences on all sides – our pupils often get as much out of it as the recipients. A number of our pupils regularly volunteer at a local primary school, reading or maths with younger children where English is, for many of them, their second or even third language. Additionally, once a week we play bingo and other activities with the elderly residents of Norton House Care Home: it is often the highlight of the week for both the residents and the children.

We also hold an annual book festival. We donate 200 hundred carefully selected second-hand books to a local primary school, and our pupils read these to the younger children, for many of whom English is an additional language. These children take the book home with them and it is often the first English book in their household and as the child has started the book, they are more likely to open it at home.

We are also fortunate to enjoy an incredibly high standard of facilities, in particular our playing fields and Sports Centre, so we are committed to making sure that less well-equipped schools also have the chance to access and benefit from our resources. We partner with a number of local primary schools and nursery groups who use our sporting facilities for play and outside activities throughout the year and three primary schools hold their annual sports day on our playing fields each summer.

The environment

To address the concern shown by the boys we have a number of initiatives. We mark Green Week and Earth Day with assemblies highlighting the devastating effect mankind is having on the Earth, We hold a Spring Clean where the pupils’ unwanted items are donated to homeless shelters, youth clubs and charity shops. We collect plastic which is melted down and transformed into outdoor furniture for Vincent Square. Also, in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we grow and eat our own vegetables with the three vegetable patches cared for by a handful of our green-fingered juniors.

Platform

Westminster is renowned for inspiring and stretching teaching, which encourages each pupil to reach their potential and learn at their highest possible level. Equally, we are all aware of the privilege such an education provides and the importance of sharing what we have is more critical today than ever. Run across Westminster Under School and Westminster School, Westminster Platform is an educational initiative that works closely with as many as 37 state schools in and around London, to identify bright children who are interested in an academic challenge. Platform Pups, for pupils in Year 2, and Platform, for pupils in Year 5, take place at Westminster Under School, while the Platform+ programme for Year 10 pupils takes place at Westminster School.

Once links are established with schools many children are eager to attend the monthly Saturday morning enrichment teaching sessions where they are taught by a range of teachers who are keen to be support the programme. Open to both boys and girls, the sessions are designed to expand their minds and also provide an experience of being taught alongside other capable and enthusiastic children. Reading widely is hugely encouraged and, thanks to financial donations, we were able to set up a high quality library, lending books to the children each month.

On top of the purpose to enrich the pupils, we also want to show them, and their parents, the plethora of selective educational opportunities available to them at the various entry points. Forward thinking independent schools look to provide bursaries, for pupils who might not otherwise be able to attend, and Westminster hopes to be leading the way in this area.