School pupils share pencils to raise awareness of children not in school

'Pupils at Hugh Sexey Church of England Middle School in Somerset, were the first to take part in an innovative scheme to raise awareness of the 124 million children in the world who are missing out on an education* across the globe.

The first ever national Share a Pencil Day takes place on 17th May 2017, when pupils will be asked to share a pencil for a single lesson, an afternoon or the whole day, to experience what learning is really like for the many children without access to school or the basic materials to learn. In the run-up to the event, the organisers, Hope, worked in partnership with Hugh Sexey Middle School to demonstrate the educational benefits of the scheme to teachers,before the big day itself.

Roberta Taylor, leader of humanities at Hugh Sexey C of E Middle School, said: “The Share a Pencil Day experience was an eye opener for our children. They are aged nine to 13, so they know a little about Syria and the refugee crisis but did not really have an understanding of what these events meant for the individuals in those situations. 

“Watching videos of children explaining what living in a zone of conflict means on a day to day basis, developed a deep empathy for the impact global events have for the people living within them.

“The lesson material is entirely suitable for years five to nine. We used a film by Emma Watson, the Harry Potter and Beauty and the Beast actress, to introduce the topic and then the children w

“Every pupil had the opportunity to complete a worksheet about the children, although we ensured that there were only enough pencils for one to be shared between two pupils, so the children found out first-hand what it is like when pupils have to share learning materials to get work completed.

“The scheme helped pupils foster an understanding of what life is like for others perhaps less fortunate than themselves. We also feel it is important to encourage children to appreciate that they are in some ways very fortunate to have access to all the advantages they have and Share a Pencil Day is perfect for that.

“The children were even more engaged than I had hoped they would be and it created some great discussions.  We ended the lesson with pupils creating posters about why they loved school.

“The activities really helped our children to grow their sense of global responsibility and, most importantly, the children now understand that they can make a difference. I would encourage as many schools as possible to sign up.”

“Every pupil had the opportunity to complete a worksheet about the children, although we ensured that there were only enough pencils for one to be shared between two pupils, so the children found out first-hand what it is like when pupils have to share learning materials to get work completed.

“The scheme helped pupils foster an understanding of what life is like for others perhaps less fortunate than themselves. We also feel it is important to encourage children to appreciate that they are in some ways very fortunate to have access to all the advantages they have and Share a Pencil Day is perfect for that.

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To date, around 20,000 pupils are in line to take part in Share a Pencil Day on 17th May which gives pupils in schools across the UK the opportunity to learn about the issues faced by many children around the world and explores the difficulties they often have to overcome to access an education.

Once teachers have registered their interest via https://www.hope.co.uk/share-a-pencil-day-sign-up-form they can access lesson plans, films and posters to support their Share a Pencil Day activities. Schools can also purchase special Share a Pencil Day pencils, the proceeds of which will go towards Hope’s Bright Futures mission in partnership with Plan International UK. The funds will support the charity’s education projects worldwide, which include transforming the lives of girls in Kamuli, Uganda; helping children in Pakistan get an education, and the training of 275 female teachers in Sierra Leone.

Evan Lewis the founder of Hope, the organisation behind Share a Pencil Day, said: “Our goal is to raise awareness of the educational issues that many children face globally.”

For more information visit https://www.hope.co.uk/share-a-pencil-day-sign-up-form Twitter: @hopepencils #ShareAPencilDay #PencilSelfie