“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.  Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9

At St Luke’s School we:

• Seek wisdom and creativity to become more sustainable.
• Inspire hope when we stand up for what we believe in.
• Support our local community.
• Find endurance to not give up in the face of challenge.

By way of a working definition, when using the term ‘courageous advocacy’ we are referring to the act of speaking out against an issue of injustice, often on behalf of those whose voice is not heard. Speaking out, at whatever level this takes place, requires an element (and sometimes a great deal) of courage! Becoming a courageous advocate for change, therefore, must involve being informed about an issue, and it must move beyond simply knowing, to saying and doing.

Educating for courageous advocacy must embody an ethos of action-taking, challenging injustice and becoming agents of change in the transformation of ourselves, our relationships and our communities from the local level to the global.

At St Luke's, courageous advocacy is at the heart of all we do; we aim to inspire and instil Christian Values within our whole community.  Life can be challenging at times, and we encourage our pupils to stand up for what they believe in and support others in overcoming the difficulties they may face. 

Courageous advocacy in our school:

• Encourages pupils to think widely and deeply about issues (asking ‘why?’);
• Empowers pupils to understand political processes and their own rights and responsibilities in society;
• Encourages pupils to think of creative solutions to problems (asking ‘what can be done about it?’)
• Equips pupils to identify where power is located and how decisions are made;
• Enables pupils to express themselves confidently and articulately to decision-makers and others.

As a school, we are proud to support many charities, both local, national and global, giving our pupils a chance to look at world issues and a voice to discuss them and be a part of the solution.  These charities are selected by the School and School Councillors and children are encouraged to reflect on the needs of others and actively involve themselves in fundraising; these include:

• Christian Aid
• Children In Need
• Brain Tumour Research
• Water Aid
• Marie Curie
• Jeans for Genes
• Save the Children
• British Red Cross
• The Royal British Legion
• Comic / Sport Relief
• Kingston Food Bank 
• NSPCC

At St Luke's, pupils learn about issues of injustice and take action in tackling these problems.

• Developing links with Mahamadi Kouaogo, the child we sponsor in Burkina Faso.
• Harvest
• Litter picking
• Pupils lead Collective Worship on issues they want to address