Students are working with an athlete mentor to raise awareness of child abuse and how to help children in need

This week, four students in Years 8 and 10 at Central Academy have been teaching their peers about how they can help children in need as part of their involvement in AQA Unlocking Potential, a national mentoring programme.

Delivered by education charity AQA in partnership with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, Unlocking Potential is designed to help students aged between 11 and 19 develop their presentation and leadership skills, and strengthen their confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Working with athlete mentors, which include Olympians, Paralympians and World Champions, students are challenged to plan and deliver a social action project to make a positive different within their school or local communities. 

At Central Academy, the team of students taking part in the programme – Maizey, Frankie, Bailey and Hayden – have been working alongside their athlete mentor and former championship skateboarder, Neil Danns, to raise awareness of child abuse. In March, they got the opportunity to travel to Manchester to pitch their project to a panel of ‘Dragons’ and since then have been working hard to implement it.

In one key part of their project, the students have designed and recorded an assembly exploring what physical and emotional child abuse means, signs to be aware of and where to seek help. Showcasing their impressive teamwork and presentation skills, this week the recording of their assembly was played to all students in Years 7 to 10 at the academy. The students also worked in pairs to deliver their assembly live to two classes. 

In July, the Central Academy team will be joining together with 120 students from across the UK who are also taking part in the initiative, and their athlete mentors, for a special celebration event in London.

Speaking about delivering the live assembly, Year 8 student Maizey said:

“I was nervous beforehand but after we’d done it I was very glad I took on the challenge! I feel like it was such a good thing to do.”

Year 10 student Hayden added:

“The assembly went better than I expected. There were some words I would have liked to pronounce better so if I was to do it again this is definitely something I would work on. But overall I am relieved it went well!”

Iona Kyle, PE teacher and Wellbeing and Mental Health Coordinator at Central Academy, said:

“Congratulations to Maizey, Frankie, Bailey and Hayden on delivering this excellent social action project and helping to strengthen understanding across the school of how we can all help children in need. It has been fantastic for the team to be involved in this programme and benefit from the guidance and support of their athlete mentor Neil, who has inspired them all. 

“Giving our students opportunities to take on new challenges like this where they can build their confidence and develop their teamwork skills is a key part of how we deliver an Education with Character at Central Academy. I know the team are looking forward to travelling to London next month where they will be able to learn about the range of other social action projects that have taken place across the country and celebrate their collective hard work.”