Community
BUILDING MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Community
Part of the school’s Five-Year Strategic Vision is to be a Beacon of Wellbeing – both for the school community and for the communities that surround us.
The Thomas’s Battersea community is as outward-looking as it is internally vibrant. Bringing together our pupils, staff, parents and alumni, we cultivate a deeply connected environment where everyone truly belongs.
Our approach to our community aims to:
- Prioritise the pupils
- Honour the staff
- Deliver for the parents
A coherent relationship between the staff and the parent body is a key ingredient to the school’s success. That relationship is only strengthened through our common goal, which is for children to thrive in their education. The strong community at Thomas’s Battersea is special, and our pupils are able to thrive because everyone plays their part.
Equally, we maintain an outward looking stance at all times. If you were to ask us what we are most proud of as a school community, we could point to the academic results that are achieved year-on-year, or we could point to the breadth of curriculum on offer, the values upon which every lesson and interaction leans, or indeed the manner in which our pupils learn to be good people. It could be our future-facing Baccalaureate, or the church services that bring the community together.
We are proud of all those parts of school life at Thomas’s Battersea, but we are also immensely proud of what is achieved through our community partnership work. This includes initiatives such as the Pathway Programme on Saturdays, where pupils from local schools use our facilities for their enrichment and enjoyment, and the Foundation Dance Programme, which allows external members of the community to access first-class dance lessons, and our work with our Partnership Schools, through which we facilitated the painting of three school libraries last year, and other projects we sponsor for them.
We are also proud of the work we do with the Katherine Low Settlement, where our pupils support the elderly in a number of different contexts at the Settlement. One of the highlights of the year is the KLS Tea Party, where members of the KLS community come to Thomas’s Battersea for tea and cake and are treated to a variety of performances by the pupils.
This all matters because it speaks into our tenth and final value – to be Givers, not Takers. Every pupil leaves Thomas’s Battersea with a sense of responsibility to be a compassionate contributor to society.
Our work with the community – both internally, and with those that surround us – allows us to do that. We are pleased that we are not just a school in the community; we are a school for the community.
The Parent Teacher Association
One of the many joys of Thomas’s Battersea is the school’s community. Central to that community is the Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
The PTA facilitates active partnership between the parents and the school. Without the PTA, the community would not be what it is at Thomas’s Battersea. Each member is a beacon of wellbeing both within the school community and for our local community.
The success of our school, its functioning and its vision hinges on the coherent and collaborative relationship that is built with parents. Members of the PTA help make that possible, and they do so by filling a number of roles – from Class Representatives to whole-school roles such as Charity Lead or Treasurer.
