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Beyond the Classroom: Becoming a Change Maker

 

When the Independent Schools Inspectorate visited RSM in February they were extremely impressed with the school’s Education for Social Responsibility (ESR) programme. ESR at RSM has been  specifically designed to take children’s personal development well beyond the classroom, so they become well-educated and rounded young adults ready to take their place in an exciting but uncertain future world.

Compassion, kindness, wisdom and good values are at the heart of everything we do at RSM. We don’t ask our children what they want to be when they grow up, we ask who they want to be. We want them to be ideas generators, good listeners, loyal friends, well-informed, open-minded, well-mannered, team players, considerate colleagues, fantastic bosses, positive influences, go-getters, self-starters, good neighbours, movers and shakers, gracious losers, generous hosts, culture vultures, trail blazers, game changers… And ultimately change makers of the future.

We constantly look to the future. What will our children be doing in five years’ time? In 10 years’ time? Midway through their career – or, more likely, careers? How will they be changing the world for the better? We want them to be good citizens, with the confidence to make the right decisions and the skills needed to lead happy and successful lives – lives which are significant in a positive way.

So, what are we doing now to prepare them for the significant challenges ahead? We believe it is important that children are encouraged to think ‘beyond the bubble’ of traditional schooling and at RSM we help them to do this by providing an education that includes:

  • Giving back to society and the planet, more than they take:  We live on a finite planet and we share our planet too
  • Taking sustainability seriously: Practical application now and as future leaders in society
  • Recognising the personal value and economic importance of the natural environment:  How eco-systems really work
  • Understanding how STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) can be applied, creatively, to tackle real world problems
  • Philosophy for children: To dig deep into why humanity has got into the ecological predicament we are in, and how we change the story

The Education for Social Responsibility programme (ESR) at RSM encompasses all of the above and helps children to think about the core values that will lead to happy and fulfilled lives, within stable and caring communities while protecting the planet for the future. At the heart of it is a focus on the wellbeing of each of them individually, the wellbeing of teams they will work for the wellbeing of the planet.

‘The quality of the children’s personal development is excellent’. ISI Inspection 2023

Find out more by watching our latest video or visiting our Social Responsibility page. Read more about Upper School at RSM.

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