MLPS Volunteers
Here at Marsh Lane, we are very fortunate to have a group of fantastic volunteers who give up their time to help our children. Some of which are parents and grandparents and form our PTA; others are retired members of the community who support with reading. We also work closely with the School Readers Scheme, who some of our volunteers have signed up through.
What are the benefits of being a volunteer?
Benefits to the Volunteer
Volunteer roles can give you the opportunity to start out in the world of work, build up experience in a new field, or give to a cause that you feel passionate about. You may find it also helps improve your wellbeing – one of the NHS’ five ways to wellbeing is giving back to the community. Volunteering makes us feel good about ourselves and enriches our mental health. One of the reasons that volunteer roles are so popular is that they’re extremely rewarding; volunteers feel as though they can make a difference.
How can volunteers help in schools?
Classroom volunteers can support children directly in many ways, including:
hearing individual children read
working with small groups on additional activities
scribing or reading during classwork or assessments.
They can assist the teacher in administrative roles such as:
resource preparation (photocopying, laminating, etc)
setting up activities
classroom displays
maintaining and restocking stationery.
They can also provide support across the whole school with:
multi-year group projects
communal area displays
librarian duties
lunchtime and after school clubs
supervision at events (plays, assemblies, sports days, etc)
specialist skill sharing in workshops, staff training or assemblies
gardening, tidying and decorating within school grounds.
Safeguarding
All our volunteers complete an induction process. As part of this an enhanced DBS check is carried out. Volunteers are also asked to agree to a code of conduct which aligns with the school’s expectations for all staff. This ensures consistency for pupils regardless of who they’re working with. Prior to starting their placement, volunteers will also be made aware of the school’s safeguarding policy, told who the safeguarding leads are and given guidance on how to proceed if a concern arises.
Volunteers are also required to read a variety of documents prior to their start which include our behaviour, first-aid and data protection policy.
Schools have a duty of care towards volunteers, as they do towards all individuals on their premises or taking part in school-related activities. Volunteer involvement will be referenced in all relevant risk assessments and volunteers will be briefed on relevant health and safety information in advance of any activity.