Pupils from The Portsmouth Grammar School Sixth Form create charity support network

PGS pupils working with children at St George’s Beneficial C of E Primary School

Advertisement feature: City commitment: a new programme is adding a vital new element to Sixth Form, teaching life skills and helping the local community

The Portsmouth Grammar School has created Community, Action, Workplace, a new programme where older pupils in the school carry out volunteering placements throughout the city.

These long-term placements enrich the standard curriculum experience, teach vital life skills and give back to the city in a very practical way, including working with other schools and organisations.

How it works

PGS pupils working at Second Chance Children’s Charity

“Community, Action, Workplace is an integral part of the Sixth Form Curriculum for all pupils,” said Miss Govina Basra, Co‑ordinator of Sixth Form Partnerships. “It is aimed to not only equip pupils with new knowledge and skills, but to also make positive use of their existing skill set.

“It's about making pupils more aware of the world around them, and to encourage them to apply their talents and interests to make a difference.”

And she says the programme helps the students and the local community, as CAW allows pupils to make a real, positive difference in Portsmouth.

Charity board

Govina Basra, Co ordinator of Sixth Form Partnerships at PGS

New for this year is Shaping Portsmouth, where they have created a ‘charity board’ that matches requests from local good causes to professionals, like plumbers or electricians, to help out. Professionals can ‘donate’ hours, and the students will match them to charity requests, especially those organisations who are struggling in the cost-of-living crisis.

“Due the current climate and cuts in funding for charities, they can’t always afford to pay professionals for various services,” continues Govina. “The board offers a way that professionals can give back to the city and charities can continue functioning via their voluntary support.

“Our pupils created the whole service from scratch and added it to the Shaping Portsmouth website, it'll hopefully go fully live shortly and will be of great use to charities throughout the city.”

Working with other schools

As well as their own busy curriculum, the Sixth Form pupils have been sharing their literacy and maths expertise in a series of support programmes, primarily for Trafalgar School and Mayfield School, and other volunteering roles at St George’s Beneficial C of E Primary School.

They have also been working with the Second Chance Children’s Charity – a long standing partnership with PGS. Work there has involved transforming the farm in the school section, making a bug hotel, a pond, a picnic area, a hobbit house, a water wall and improving the children’s play garden.

“The pupils in Sixth Form have contributed over 3000 hours of volunteering across 16 organisations in the city over the last year,” said Mr David Wickes, Head of The Portsmouth Grammar School. “Being part of city life in Portsmouth is very much valued by us and as we approach our 300th anniversary in 2032 we are looking forward to finding more opportunities for our pupils to engage with the richness of this city and its many communities.”

Find out more about The Portsmouth Grammar School at www.pgs.org.uk