We welcome volunteers from the families of children we teach, and other members of the community.
Volunteering is a wonderful opportunity to gain experience working within a school environment, particularly if you are considering a career within this field, but also provides fulfilling and invaluable help and support to our school community by promoting learning within our school. Whilst we appreciate any additional help offered, we do try to encourage our volunteers to commit to a regular pattern of volunteering (this can be as little as a couple of hours a week) as this enables our class teams to build in your support to their routines and schedules. Committing to a regular time each week can also help to forge relationships within the team and with our children.
There are many opportunities to volunteer at Sir Henry Fermor:
Reading
Whilst we encourage children to regularly read at home with an adult, busy lifestyles can often get in the way of this happening. Reading is essential for cognitive development, language skills and improving creativity and imagination. Our reading volunteers offer one or two afternoons per week to listen and support our children with their reading, helping them to cultivate a love of reading.
Swimming:
We are incredibly fortunate to have a swimming pool on site and therefore all our children have the opportunity to learn to swim during their time with us. Whilst we have a dedicated swimming teacher and class teams, additional help with swimming lessons is always invaluable. Our volunteers help and encourage our children to become self-proficient in changing and provide welcome encouragement to those children that may need a little extra support. Our swimming Volunteers offer one afternoon a week
Classroom Teaching Assistant Volunteers
We are often approached by individuals who are currently studying for a Teaching Assistant qualifications. Often, as part of a course requirement, individuals are required to gain classroom experience as part of their qualification. Volunteers will work a minimum of one morning a week within the same class, supporting children with all aspects of the curriculum on both a one to one and group basis.
Other opportunities to volunteer
We offer a broad curriculum at Sir Henry Fermor, with many exciting topics and themes. Parents and carers are welcome to assist with projects, theme days and school trips, and if you have particular skills and interests that fit with our curriculum, we would love our volunteers to get involved!
How to become a volunteer at Sir Henry Fermor
We are legally required to carry out safeguarding checks on all adults that come into regular contact with children without staff supervision. All volunteers will therefore be required to complete a volunteer application form, where we will ask for two references confirming your character and suitability to work with children. We will also require you to carry out a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check requiring proof of identity. This process is completed online and the School Office will invite you to complete the application on receipt of your application form. Our Volunteer application form can be found below. Please return to the school office on completion.
We would love to hear from anyone that is interested in regularly volunteering in school and will be happy to answer any queries you may have. Please email office@fermorschool.org.uk if you have any further questions.