The pupils of Sandbank Primary School and the Early Learning and Childcare Unit are very aware of how lucky they are to have access to a safe and stable school environment where they can learn and have fun together with their friends. They, along with their teachers, know that this is unfortunately not the case for all children around the world and the school regularly has participated in the “Send My Friend to School Project”
which brings together thousands of children across the UK to speak up for a child’s right to education, and remind world leaders of their promise that all children should get the chance to go to school. Send My Friend to School is run by the UK coalition of the Global Campaign for Education, which is a global organisation working to ensure quality education for all children. The UK campaign seeks to generate the political will necessary to ensure the UK plays an active and effective part in efforts to secure education for all.
This year’s campaign focuses on the vital need to deliver education to the 37 million children who are out of school in countries affected by crises of different kinds. The children in Sandbank School have been learning about the barriers to education for those children who are out of school in countries affected by war and conflict, natural disasters and health emergencies.
They created paper rucksacks symbolizing the journeys that children have to take when they have to flee in an emergency. They have filled them with things they would pack if they had to leave their school behind and have covered them with messages asking for urgent action to ensure that no child anywhere in the world is left behind as far as education is concerned.
At a special assembly held at the school on Monday the 16th of May, the children gave a short performance highlighting some of the things the rucksacks contain…art, music, poetry, dancing, singing, reading, books, sport, fun, hope and love. Sandbank Primary was very glad that Brendan O’Hara could attend their assembly and the rucksacks were handed to him so that he could deliver them to Number 10 to remind the UK government of the new goal of quality education worldwide for every child up to 15.
