Introduction

Volunteers at our school bring with them a range of skills and experience that can enhance the learning opportunities, achievement and enjoyment of children at our school. We welcome and encourage volunteers from the all sections of the local community.

Our Volunteers include:

• Parents and other relatives of pupils
• Members of the Governing Body
• Ex-pupils
• Students on work experience
• Ex-members of staff
• Local residents

Volunteering Opportunities

The types of activities that Volunteers support and assist with include:

• Hearing children read
• Working with small groups of children
• Working alongside individual children
• Undertaking art and craft activities with children
• Working in our school Learning Resource Centre
• Running or assisting with after-school clubs
• Working with children on the computers
• Accompanying school visits

The Benefits of Volunteering

For the children: increases in understanding, achievement, self confidence and self esteem

For teaching staff: greater opportunity to work with other children, so enabling the class as a whole to learn more effectively and achieve more

For the volunteer: a great sense of achievement and personal satisfaction, new knowledge and new skills, improved career prospects

What Volunteering Has Already Helped Achieve In Newbridge

Our school and our pupils are lucky enough to benefit, on a daily basis, from the fantastic efforts of our many brilliant volunteers, who have helped the achievement of a wide range of important activities and benefits, including:

• Supporting learning across the curriculum
• Supporting arts week
• Supporting literacy week
• Helping organise the library and donating library books
• Raising funds and providing a wide range of resources and facilities
• Joining in with “Groundforce” days and other environment-focussed activities
• Designing and producing the school prospectus and school calendars
• Helping with the design and provision of various school systems (e.g. “pupil tracking”)
• Helping to design the school uniform
• Supporting clubs (e.g. art and recorders)
• Assistance with assemblies and a wide variety of other school events, including school plays and productions
• Even arranging visits by Father Christmas!

Support For Volunteers

We greatly value and appreciate the time and effort that each of our volunteers generously gives to our school, whether it is on a regular or more ad hoc basis. In order to try to make our volunteers feel welcomed, valued and well informed about our school - including its activities, values and objectives – we aim to provide active and positive support to our volunteers in several ways, including:

• A Welcome Pack, supporting a structured induction process
• Full training when needed
• Regular newsletters
• Regular opportunities for get togethers (like today) to discuss ideas and learn from and support each other
• Web pages providing volunteer news and information on our school website
• Appropriate references for those seeking to build on their volunteering experience in their career

Becoming a Volunteer

Anyone wishing to become a volunteer, either for a one off event, such as a school visit, or on a more regular basis (e.g. hearing children read), should approach the school Volunteers Coordinator, Tony Day, who will be pleased to explain the volunteering opportunities at our school in more detail and answer any questions prospective volunteers may have. Tony can be contacted via the main school office (01225-421675) or via e-mail tony_day@newbridge.bathnes.sch.uk.

Volunteers will be invited to complete a Volunteer Information Sheet with their contact details, type of activities they would like to help with, and the times they are available to help.

Before starting to help in school, volunteers will also be invited to complete the Volunteer Agreement which sets out the school’s expectations of volunteers but, just as importantly, explains what volunteers can expect from our school. Prospective volunteers will also be required to complete a routine Criminal Record Bureau disclosure application (“CRB check”), before starting to help in school.