Solution

We have continued to work with our adopted schools because we understand the importance of an engagement programme that genuinely invests in the next generation. We identify areas where our skills, expertise and resources are most beneficial and then develop plans to respond to the needs of these communities, from educational visits which support the schools’ curriculums to built projects around the schools’ grounds.

Key examples of this include Connect Plus Services’ maths club, known as Maths25, which has been launched at the Dartford Bridge School in Kent. Our CPS STEM ambassadors work to make maths fun for pupils at the school. Our CPS Finance Director also joined Maths25 at the end of 2018 for a money management game, where the children were given play money and real-life scenarios to encourage them to plan how best to use their funds.

One of our Environmental Assistants visited The Dartford Bridge Primary School during the school’s Science Week to talk to the Year 6 children about her role and the importance of looking after the environment while operating and maintaining the M25.

Our newly adopted school, Holy Cross Primary School in Thurrock, benefited from a collaborative initiative with contractor R&W. They replaced their old tarmac playground with a new surface that incorporated new sports equipment. Another collaboration with FM Conway helped to clear their blocked gullies.

Children from three of our adopted schools took part in a drawing competition, portraying scenes of traffic management, litter picking and incident support. The winners’ drawings appeared in a children’s book which was professionally printed and distributed to each of the schools. Another stand-out initiative was ‘CPS in Bloom’, where volunteers planted flowers and vegetables to brighten up the adopted schools’ play areas. Each school received a £200 voucher for garden equipment and anything else they wanted for the planting area.