FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
19th July 2021
Kingsmead Primary School awarded prestigious Useful and Kind Schools’ Mark.
The whole school community at Kingsmead Primary in Cheshire are celebrating after being awarded the first Useful and Kind Schools’ Mark in the country.
The Useful and Kind Schools’ Mark is an award that recognises and celebrates a school’s commitment to nurturing useful and kind behaviours and leadership across a whole school community.
A Useful & Kind School is one characterised by care, compassion, creativity, equality, excellence and kindness. Everyone working together to support the development of our future prosocial leaders - those that will lead, live and act for the welfare of others and the world.
Kingsmead Primary School is the first school community to embed Useful and Kind at the heart of its ethos. Useful and Kind has become a shared way of being at Kingsmead – from day to day behaviours around the school to specific projects like supporting pupils to become Junior MPs in the local area. A strong focus on useful and kind behaviours and leadership is having a lasting impact on pupils, staff, parents and the wider local community.
The U&K Schools’ Mark Manager, Lyanne Young commended Kingsmead Primary:
“From the youngest pupils aged just four, to Year 6 pupils aged eleven, children have a keen sense of what it means to be useful and kind to Self, Others and World. They have the values, awareness and skills to make a positive difference and they are taking action. ”
On receiving the award, Catriona Stewart, Headteacher said:
“When any parent or carer receives their end of year report, if they are anything like me, they go first to the teacher's comment to see how useful and kind their child has been. Then they turn to academic achievements and success to celebrate. Because in terms of our own happiness in life, the happiness of those around us and the wellbeing of the natural world we share our home planet with, one should always come before the other. This is why the U&K award means so very much to us at Kingsmead, it lives and breathes in the day to day language in our school community and makes our work, learning and lives joyful.”
Duncan Fraser, Director of the charity Useful and Kind Unlimited, said:
“I am thrilled that such a wonderful school community is being the first nationally to be recognised for its commitment to making the world a better place. Huge congratulations to the head, staff and young people.”
Ends
For more information, please contact Lyanne Young (lyanne@usefulandkindunlimited.com)
Notes to editor:
About the Useful and Kind Schools’ Mark -
The U&K Schools’ Mark is an award that recognises and celebrates a school’s commitment to nurturing useful and kind behaviours and leadership across the whole school community. The U&K Schools’ Mark is open to all primary schools and we are currently leading research projects with secondary schools.
By supporting pupils to be Useful and Kind, we are helping schools to focus on personal development and character education, preparing young people to take their place in the world and make a positive difference. In its full flourishing of being Useful and Kind, a school can develop pupils, staff, governors, and parents to be pro-social (“useful & kind”) leaders in their communities and in the wider world.
Visit: https://www.usefulandkindunlimited.com/uk-schools-mark-1
About Useful and Kind Unlimited -
Five years ago, inspired by Barack Obama’s exhortation for young people to be Useful and Kind, Duncan Fraser created the charity Useful and Kind Unlimited which aims to develop prosocial behaviour and leadership. The charity has run summer schools for 16 year olds, produces a podcast series, is developing an organisational Mark in partnership with University of Essex and has developed a range of materials and tools as part of its highly effective U&K Schools’ Mark.
Visit: https://www.usefulandkindunlimited.com