Jesus the brave advocate

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me… He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

 Luke 4:18

Jesus was a courageous advocate because he stood up for truth and defended people who were overlooked or mistreated. He challenged unfair leaders, helped those in need, and broke social barriers to show that everyone deserves dignity and compassion. Even when his actions were risky, he stayed committed to doing what was right, inspiring others to do the same. Courageous Advocacy equips children with the skills, tools, confidence, and opportunity to speak up and take action on issues of justice. As part of the broader strand of creating a culture of justice and responsibility, we have developed a courageous advocacy curriculum. This is an annual whole school project that provides children with an outlook on the world starting, locally, nationally and globally on issues that can make a difference so that we can all live well together.

Culture of justice and responsibility

Courageus advocay is just a strand of creating a culture of justice and responsibity in our school. Creating a culture of justice and responsibility in a Church of England school means everyone—children and adults alike are encouraged and taught to act with fairness, compassion, and integrity. Developing a culture of justice and responsibility is deeply and theologically rooted in the Gospels where Jesus repeatedly defends the poor, challenges injustice, and calls for service and humility. It is something to be lived and breathed everyday through day to day interactions as well as an integral part of the curriculum.

Restorative approach

The restorative approach, outlined in the school’s Positive Behaviour Policy, encourages an active culture of justice and responsibility by shifting the focus from punishment to understanding, accountability, and repair. Instead of asking, “What rule was broken and how should we punish it?” the restorative approach asks, “Who was affected, what harm was caused, and how can it be made right?” This mindset helps everyone involved take ownership of their actions and their impact on others.

By giving pupils the chance to speak, listen, and reflect, the restorative approach promotes fairness, empathy, and mutual respect. It requires those who have caused harm to actively participate in repairing relationships and rebuilding trust, rather than passively accepting consequences. This encourages meaningful responsibility, as pupils learn to recognise the effects of their choices and take steps to put things right.

Over time, these practices create a culture where justice is not something done to people but something created with them. Pupils are more aware of their role in the community, more committed to positive behaviour, and more confident in resolving conflicts constructively. This active participation strengthens both individual character and the overall sense of fairness and accountability across the school.

Be Ready, Be Respectful, Be Safe

The principles of being ready to learn, being respectful, and being safe work together to create an active culture of responsibility and justice because they set shared expectations for how everyone contributes to the school community.

Being ready to learn encourages pupils to take responsibility for themselves. By developing positive habits, routines, and a willingness to engage, pupils learn that their actions directly affect their own progress and the learning of others. This sense of ownership builds personal responsibility, which is a foundation for fair and just behaviour.

Being respectful ensures that every member of the community is valued and treated with dignity. Respect fosters empathy—an essential ingredient of justice—because pupils learn to consider the perspectives, feelings, and rights of others. When respect becomes a norm, pupils are more likely to act fairly, resolve conflicts constructively, and contribute to a safe, inclusive environment.

Being safe reinforces justice by highlighting the shared duty to protect and care for one another. Pupils understand that their choices have consequences not only for themselves but also for the wellbeing of the wider community. By acting in ways that maintain safety, they learn to uphold fairness, boundaries, and responsibility.

Together, these principles create a culture where pupils actively participate in maintaining a just and responsible environment. They learn that justice is not only about rules and consequences but about daily actions—showing readiness, respect, and care—that support the flourishing of everyone in the community.

Curriculum

Curricular areas that support in creating a culture of justice and responsibility include :

• Personal Social Health Edication Curriculum (SCARF)

• Spiritual Development 

• The Behaviour Curriculum 

• Courageous Advocacy curriculum

• Religious Education

The SCARF curriculum promotes a culture of justice and responsibility by teaching pupils the knowledge, skills, and values they need to behave fairly, make thoughtful choices, and understand the impact of their actions on others. Each of the SCARF strands—Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience, and Friendship—contributes to this culture in practical ways.

Safety helps pupils understand boundaries, consent, and the importance of keeping themselves and others safe. This builds responsibility by encouraging pupils to consider how their behaviour affects the wellbeing of those around them.

Caring nurtures empathy and compassion, key foundations for justice. When pupils learn to recognise and value others’ feelings and experiences, they are more likely to act respectfully, resolve conflicts fairly, and stand up for what is right.

Achievement supports responsible attitudes by teaching pupils to set goals, manage their learning, and take ownership of their progress. This reinforces the idea that responsibility is not only about behaviour but also about contributing positively to the school community.

Resilience helps pupils understand that mistakes are part of learning. Restorative approaches embedded within SCARF encourage pupils to reflect, repair harm, and try again, fostering a just environment where growth and restoration matter more than blame.

Friendship teaches pupils how to build healthy relationships based on fairness, cooperation, and mutual respect. It encourages them to include others, challenge unfair behaviour, and support their peers.

Together, these elements create a shared language and set of expectations that help pupils think about fairness, take responsibility for their actions, and contribute to a kind, safe, and respectful school environment. Through SCARF, justice becomes something pupils practise every day—through their choices, relationships, and attitudes.

RE underpins courageous advocacy. Using the three lenses of the Essex Agreed Syllabus:

• Theology helps pupils reflect on biblical teaching about justice and compassion — for example, connecting Malala’s story to Jesus’ call to care for the vulnerable.

• Philosophy equips them to wrestle with moral dilemmas and to consider fairness, equality, and truth from multiple perspectives.

• Human and social sciences enable them to understand the lived experiences of others and see injustice not as abstract but as real in the world around them.

Spirituality

Being immersed in school life where adults skilfully capture moments of spirituality, overtime our children will  develop a deeper and more thoughtful appreciation of themselves, each other, the world in which they live (beyond the superficial)  so that they are more likely to act with empathy, gratitude, and respect and build strong, positive relationships and communities that ‘live well together’ and in harmony with each other and nature.

Collective Worship

Collective Worship is a sacred time and place where children and adults have the opportunity to gain wisdom and learn to live well together and how to live life in all its fullness (John 10:10) through the word of God. It is a joyous, inclusive, invitational and inspirational occasion where the community comes together to thank, celebrate and receive wisdom and inspiration.  This can lead to a change in attitude and even a change in actions and behaviour. Themes covered include global and social justice designed to build empathy and moral courage, environmental stewardship and community service as ways of living responsibly.

Day to day interactions

Adults model fairness, respect, and dignity in all daily interactions, treating every child and adult as someone made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). They demonstrate integrity and honesty, showing that doing what is right matters more than convenience or popularity, and they admit mistakes and make amends, modelling humility, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Adults speak and act against injustice, showing moral courage and zero tolerance for unkindness or unfairness in the workplace and beyond. They use restorative approaches to help children understand the impact of their actions through consistent natural consequences and meaningful conversations that repair harm. Adults also encourage responsibility by giving children meaningful roles in school life, listening with empathy to ensure every voice is valued, and promoting inclusion and equality by challenging bias and ensuring fair access to opportunities. Finally, they celebrate acts of justice and responsibility, affirming children when they stand up for others or act with integrity.

Ardleigh St Mary’s Courageous Advocacy Programme of Study

The Courageous Advocacy Programme at Ardleigh St Mary’s is designed to help children understand their place in the world as compassionate, active citizens who speak up for justice and care for others. Rooted in the example of Jesus—who showed courage, compassion, and advocacy for the vulnerable—this programme uses the creative medium of art to explore important issues at local, national, and global levels.

Through collaborative projects, creative expression, and reflective learning, children learn that they have a voice, their actions matter, and together we can create positive change for the future.

Overarching Aims of the Programme

By taking part in the Courageous Advocacy Programme, children will:

1. Explore courageous advocacy through art at local, national, and global levels.

2. Understand that Jesus was a courageous advocate, a voice for the voiceless, and a model for Christian action.

3. Develop the skills, confidence, and opportunity to speak up about issues of justice and fairness.

4. Learn about global issues affecting people and the planet today.

5. Celebrate courageous advocates within our school community and recognise how individual actions make a difference.

6. Work collaboratively, valuing teamwork and seeing how unity strengthens advocacy and impact.

Whole-School Creative Activities

To celebrate our shared engagement in courageous advocacy, every child in the school will:

• Design and colour four feathers, writing a gratitude statement on the back of one.

• Draw a self-portrait to show that they are part of the global community; these portraits will be displayed together to represent unity and diversity.

Programme of Study by Year Group

Reception Aims

• To feel welcomed into Ardleigh St Mary’s and understand that although we are all different, we belong to the same community.

• To begin noticing wonder in the natural and school environment.

• To recognise that kindness and care help build a happy, safe community.
  
  

Activities

• Collage hearts onto Pudsey and paint spots on the bandage.

• Paint a rainbow and stamp flowers across fields.
  
  

These activities introduce children to the idea of community care and shared responsibility in a gentle, expressive way.

Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Aims

• To understand the term charity and how fundraising helps people in need.

• To take responsibility for their role in the local community.

• To notice, wonder, and care for local places, wildlife, and the environment.
  
  

Activities

• Collaborative paper-mache Womble, made with adults, symbolising caring for the environment.

• Individual egg-carton woodland animals to promote respect for local wildlife.

• Each child creates a ladybird or bee, reinforcing themes of environmental stewardship.
  
  

These activities help younger pupils see themselves as helpers, carers, and early advocates for their community.

Year 3 and Year 4 – Global Oceans Focus Aims

• To notice, wonder, and care about global issues, especially those affecting the world’s oceans.

• To understand that humans are called to be stewards of the planet and are responsible for its future.

Activities

• Using recycled plastic bottles to create fish and sea creatures.

This project raises awareness of plastic pollution, sustainability, and the importance of protecting marine life.

Year 3 and Year 4 – Global Digital Citizenship Aims

• To explore safe and positive connections within the global digital community.

• To understand the importance of responsible digital citizenship in a connected world.

• To recognise how online communities can be used for good.
  
  

Activities

• Collaborative creation of a robot using recycled computer parts.

• Individual creation of a Hama bead character, ironed on site.
  
  

These activities encourage responsible global citizenship and understanding of digital relationships.

Year 5 and Year 6 Aims

• To notice, wonder, and care about different cultures and beliefs around the world.
  
  

• To learn about current and historical courageous advocates.
  
  

• To understand what it means to be a courageous advocate—and how they themselves can be advocates for the future.
  
  

Activities

• Creation of tie-dye effect flowers for a Frida Kahlo headdress.
  
  

• Each child colours a mosaic tile for a Sir David Attenborough artwork.
  
  

• Researching past and present courageous advocates and creating informational posters explaining how these individuals “stood up” and made a difference.
  
  

  • This is an ongoing board so that new advocates can be added throughout the year.
    
    

• Collaborative art activity: Wax-resist “stained glass” windows created using oil pastels and watercolours, assembled with a cross at the centre and edged in gold.
  
  

These activities help older pupils develop a deep understanding of advocacy, cultural appreciation, and the importance of speaking up for justice, inspired by diverse role models.