Assistant Headteacher Lizzi Fox explains how Stokesley School uses SuperKind to recognise, encourage and celebrate student social action.
Why did you decide to use SuperKind?
We are a secondary school that places kindness above everything else, so when we found SuperKind it seemed like a natural partner to our ethos.
We wanted to recognise students for the social action they were already doing, both in and outside school, while encouraging those who were not necessarily intrinsically motivated, or getting that motivation from home, to do good in the world.
We wanted all of our students to understand how they could be the change they wanted to see in the world, and SuperKind gave us the platform on which to do this.
How do you use SuperKind in practice?
We have eleven student councils, each focusing on a particular element of school life. Some have chosen to undertake social action, including raising money for local charities, reading in a local dementia care home and organising a sustainable fashion show.
More widely, we use SuperKind to recognise where young people are already doing good. Students can nominate themselves for badges, while staff, parents and members of the local community can also nominate them.
Opening nominations to a wider range of people has made it feel much more like a community enterprise. It has also helped us discover and celebrate some of the amazing things students are doing outside school, particularly those who are quieter about the good that they do.
Which projects particularly stand out?
Probably the two biggest are our Christmas Hamper Campaign and Sustainable Fashion Show.
Each of our 45 tutor groups creates a Christmas hamper for a local family in need through the Cause Foundation. Students know the make-up of the family they are buying for, so it feels really personal. Every single child is involved, making it feel like a massive achievement for the school.
We have also created a student-run pre-loved boutique, from which students and staff can borrow clothing for proms, dances and formal events. To launch it, sixth-form students planned and ran a fashion show. It was an amazing achievement and encouraged young people to think not only about supporting their peers, but also about sustainable fashion.
How much ownership do students have, and what difference has it made?
It is a real mix. There are events that we encourage everyone to be part of, but students also choose and lead actions that are close to their hearts. Some have raised money or awareness for unwell relatives or issues connected to their own disabilities, while our student councils choose their own causes.
For those who have led events, it has been amazing to see them grow in confidence and work collaboratively to achieve a goal and make a difference.
It has also been particularly nice to formally recognise young people for the good that they do, especially those who are quieter about it. Recording acts by form group, year group and house means students can see just how much of a difference they are making together.
What would you say to another school considering SuperKind?
One of SuperKind’s strengths is that schools can make it their own, with resources designed for every phase of education, from EYFS through to secondary. We were encouraged to “go for it and make it ours”, and that is the advice I would give to any other school.
Kids love being celebrated, kids love doing good, kids love making a difference, and SuperKind helps them to do all of those things!