Oaktree Nursery and Primary School receives Swindon’s first HOPE Award
Oaktree Nursery and Primary School in Park South has been awarded with the HOPE
Award in recognition of the school’s commitment to providing recognition and support to
educating their pupils on healthy relationships.
The HOPE Award recognises schools that have completed Swindon Domestic Abuse
Support Service (SDASS)’s HOPE Programme, which helps schools to support families and
prevent future victims of domestic abuse. As well as giving pupils specially developed, age-
appropriate lessons on healthy relationships, it also provides schools with staff training as
well as a direct line of support through dedicated domestic abuse workers, who also hold
drop-in sessions at the school for local families.
Oaktree Nursery and Primary School is the first school to complete the programme and
received the award from Patron of SDASS, the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire Sarah
Troughton.
Year 6 pupils Ziad and Amaka took part in the lessons, led by Heidi and Cassie, SDASS’
School Support Workers. They said: “Heidi and Cassie taught us how to treat and respect
people equally. After this valuable lesson we remember drawing our immediate families.
We also made a little poster that Cassie laminated so that we could put it somewhere
special. We particularly enjoyed learning about each other and playing games with each
other as a year, saying what we loved about ourselves and what we didn’t like.”
Deputy Headteacher of Oaktree Nursery and Primary School Kate Howard added: “We’re
really proud of what we’ve achieved as a school through the HOPE Programme and the very
special work that SDASS do. Being kind is one of our Oaktree values and the lessons that
our pupils took part in helped them to learn how to be good friends and to think about other
people. For us, learning and understanding how to be a good person is just as important as
maths and English skills.”
The HOPE Programme and Award is available to all schools in the Swindon area, including
primary and secondary schools. SDASS’ Children and Young People Manager Emma
Maclennan explained: “Education is a key part of ensuring that the next generation can live a
life free from domestic abuse. We are very grateful to Oaktree for welcoming SDASS into
their school with such enthusiasm for the programme and we look forward to a continued
partnership.
“By achieving the HOPE Award, staff at the school have increased their knowledge and
awareness of domestic abuse and the impact that it can have on children. They have been
committed to making their school a safe space where the whole school community can
access support and advice via one of the SDASS School Support Workers and pupils have
enjoyed sensitive and age-appropriate Healthy Relationship sessions.”
For more information on the HOPE Programme, email Emma Maclennan on
emaclennan@swindonwomensaid.org
