Since January, a handful of students have been volunteering at the nearby Manor Prep School as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards. Nicole, Juliette and Tawana (Year 9) share what they have been getting up to during their volunteering work.
For my volunteering at the Manor Prep I am doing a netball club on a Monday after school with Year 4 and Year 5 students. I go once a week every Monday for one hour and it runs from 4.30pm until 5.30pm. I chose to do my volunteering at the Manor because a) I used to go there and I thought it would be nice to go back, b) It’s close to St Helen’s so I can walk there easily without having to be driven, and c) I love to work with kids.
I chose netball because I really enjoy it and would like to do some coaching. It’s really fun to do because, as I mentioned, I love working with kids and they are all so sweet! As the weeks have progressed they’ve started treating me as one of their teachers – which is nice. I help out by giving tips to the students, taking my own little group off to do some games and also doing some umpiring.
I think I am useful at the netball club because it gives the girls someone to look up to who isn’t that much older than them. So far, I have learned that I really enjoy coaching younger children, especially in a sport I specialise in. When I come out after the club, I always feel so happy and I think that shows that it’s a good thing for me to be doing.
Nicole (9J)
Every Wednesday at the Manor, I help with homework club. This is an hour-long club for children in Years 3–6, where they can do homework and read one-to-one with teachers.
Usually, I start by helping the younger children with their maths homework. I help them by breaking down harder questions into smaller parts and explaining it to them. I also check answers to questions they did on their own to make sure they are doing them correctly and, if not, I explain it to them so they might understand more.
The second half of the homework club is spent sitting one-on-one with the children and listening to them read. I like this part most because I enjoy sitting with them and helping them to read words that they are struggling with.
I chose to help at the Manor because I wanted to work with children. I think that I am helpful because it means more children can read one-to-one and get attention more quickly if they’re stuck on their homework. I have also found this beneficial because I have grown in confidence around young children and found that I really enjoy working with them.
Juliette (9L)
I am doing science club assisting Mrs Evans at the Manor Prep School. I go for one hour every week on a Monday to help Years 5–6 students with their science experiments.
I chose to volunteer at the Manor because I used to go there from Reception up to Year 6, and I remember girls from St Helen’s helping at the Manor when I was a student there. I chose the science club because science is a subject that I’m very passionate about and I enjoy helping younger children understand what I had once learnt before.
I think that I am useful at these sessions because I can help different teams by giving useful ideas and guidance when Mrs Evans may be busy with other groups. I’ve learnt that I enjoy helping others with things that I’m good at and I enjoy working with younger children because it’s fulfilling to see younger children thrive after helping them.
Tawana (9K)
