Kirksandall Junior - using TALMOS Gateway

All too often we hear people complaining about the youth of today. Perhaps these people would like to hear about something which happened recently in our school.

Last year the children pointed out that the games and toys used during wet break times had seen better days and asked if new equipment could be purchased. We decided that any money the children raised during upcoming “Santa’s Workshop,” could be used by each class for this purpose.

Santa’s Workshop takes place each December. It involves the school giving each class £50 at the start of the week. During that week, the pupils and teacher have to use the money to prepare something which could be sold or presented at a Christmas Fayre on the Friday afternoon. For this year, the more they raised, the more they would have to spend!

Once the event was over, an assembly was held where the amount each class had raised was calculated. Excitement grew as the amount spent was deducted from the totals taken to reveal their overall profit.

Year 6 …£119 per class.

Year 5…£74 per class.

Year 4…£76 per class

and Year 3….£221 each class!

Over £1,000 to be spent on new toys and games. The Year 3 children were jubilant, those in Years 4 and 5, a little less so.

But then came a voice from one of the year 3 teachers…

“We are really proud to be the winners. We worked really hard to raise so much money. But this isn’t how our school works is it? We share. Year 3, shall we put all the money together and share it out equally amongst all of the classes? Year 6, do you agree?”

Not a single pupil disagreed. The money was shared.

And so each class was given the task of working out what to buy.

As one of the Year 4 classes was holding its class council to decide this, one child suggested that the money should be split, with half being spent on games and the other being sent to two children from Kenya which we sponsor. Another pointed out that we already had a fund raising event arranged for them. Another child then spoke up;

“What about them people in the earthquake…they’ve got nothing?”

And so the decision was made, half their money to be spent on new play equipment and half to be sent to the Haiti relief charities.

I don’t know about you, but I’m quite proud of our children.

Mr Bagnall
Headteacher
Kirk Sandall Junior School