Year 1 pupils from Esh C of E (Aided) Primary School took part in our KS1 Young Leaders Award (YLA) this year where they explored the themes of kindness, perseverance, teamwork and action.  

They took part in challenges to show kindness at home and in school, to practice their perseverance and to work together as a team to help their school before looking outwards to see how they could help their local community.

The pupils wanted to spread some cheer during a challenging time so decided to plant a sunflower for each family in their school community and send a message to them all about how special the community is.

Their message said:

“We are a team at Esh, and everyone plays an important role. We wanted to send the seeds home as a sign of togetherness and kindness. We hope your sunflower flourishes and it will remind you of our special community.”

The school received many responses back from the community about what a lovely idea it was and how much the gesture was appreciated. The pupils were delighted that they had achieved their objective of spreading some joy.

This project allowed the children to reflect on the past year and the difficulties faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. They gained a new understanding of how they are an important part of their community and learnt that small gestures can have a huge impact on people.

Some of the pupils reflected,

“I now know I can make a difference.”  

“You can get lots done when you work together”.

“I liked planting the sunflowers, it made me feel happy”.

KS1 Pupils

Their teacher, Kaye Wilson, said:

“I think the children have gained a greater understanding of how their actions can affect other people. They have also realised that they are part of a wider community, and they have a role to play in it. The children have also recognised that even small actions can have a significant impact.”

KS2 pupils at the school also took part in the Young Leaders Award this year. These pupils decided to support the charity ‘Children’s Cancer North’ by organising a ‘Fun Run’. Using their teamwork and communication skills they planned, promoted and hosted an excellent event for their whole school community, raising £373 for this important cause.  

All of these Young Leaders have learnt that small steps can make big changes to their community and the lives of others.

To find out more about the KS1 YLA, and to see how it could work in your context, visit abyyt.com/keystage1 or contact our YLA team on PrimaryYLA@abyyt.com.