Emerald Changemaker Award for Denfield Park Primary School

Local Pupils at Denfield Park Primary School in Rushden, have been awarded an Emerald University of Northampton Changemaker Schools Award, for their work to build their school spirit and their profile in the local community.

The Changemaker Schools Awards challenge school pupils to identify and create solutions to social problems within their school and local community. The Changemaker Team at Denfield Park Primary, which was made up of pupils from Year one to Six from the school council, who decided that their school spirit needed a lift and set to work creating a way to do this.

The pupils decided to refresh the school’s sports kit which is worn when competing in friendly and competitive sports fixtures.

Happy, a year 6 pupil and member of the Changemaker Team, said “Before, people outside school didn’t recognise who we were, but now they know which school we’re from and can recognise us as being Denfield. Now they know what school we’re proud to be representing.”

The Changemaker project team found that the school’s existing sports kit did not consist of a range of sizes, and they were conscious that all pupils were not a standard size. The team didn’t want anyone to feel excluded from representing the school due to their physical attributes, so made sure the new kit they were planning came in a range of sizes to suit everyone.

The Changemaker Team held a competition to choose the new sports kit logo, involving the whole school as teachers were asked to allow time for every class to submit design on a pre-designed template, which then saw one winner picked to be emblazoned on the kit.

Angela Griffiths, Head teacher at Denfield said: “The school council reps this year have really embraced this challenge. They have worked tirelessly to plan, organise and deliver a range of fundraising activities. They have gained very valuable experiences whilst working towards their Emerald Award including: formal letter writing, presenting to other pupils and adults, engaging with members of the local community, accounting and understanding profit and really promoting our school in the local community.

“The project has had a really positive effect on the school community and the rest of the school has really embraced this challenge and got behind the School Council. A successful project all round and the children are really proud of their achievements!”

Rowena Panter, Changemaker Hub Coordinator, said: “It is clear from meeting and working with the Changemaker Team at Denfield that they believe and work towards their school’s core values of honesty, respect, self-belief, collaboration and pride. They ensured that the whole school community were involved in the fundraising and that activities were all inclusive.”

Fundraising activities which funded the new sports kit included two cinema evenings, ice lolly sales, an emerald mufti day and a raffle.