At Prescot Primary, we strive to build pupil self-confidence. in order to support this, we aim to strengthen our links with important people, learning centres, companies or charities in our local area. We believe that our children should learn about the community in which they live as well as looking outside to discover more about the world outside Knowsley. By offering children opportunities that lie beyond the school gates, we feel that behaviour and engagement begins to improve and self-esteem grows. They also learn to appreciate where they live and give something back.

A significant tool for this is Twitter. Each year can follow community groups or key people who influence events in the local area or further afield. We follow local charities such as 'Willowbrook Hospice' and larger organisations such as 'Alder Hey Children's Hospital' and the 'LFC Foundation'. Through Twitter, we begin to build links and share news.

Our wish to 'educate the heart' encourages us to build further links with Willowbrook Hospice; it led us to engage with staff to 'do our bit' for Hospice Care Week. The hospice staff had already created a human chain around their building - and we wanted to do the same. So, one grey Friday morning every member of our school community gathered on our school field, with Brookie the Bear. We were quiet for a moment's reflection then enjoyed being together, in a huge linked chain that was an amazing sight! 

At our school, we make time to come together as a school to raise money for special causes close to our hearts. One of our great annual events is the 'Race at our Place' held every summer in aid of Cancer Research UK. This is an illness that many members of our school community have had to face in one way or another and we work as a team to support good causes such as this. Through fundraising activities, children begin to understand what difficulties life can present and they are inspired by ways in which people can overcome these barriers or tough times in their lives.

We call this: #educatingtheheart