Life Education Trust

Rhondda Sweetman from Plimmerton Rotary

Our club has had a long and splendid relationship with the Life Education Trust, which was set up to add vital extra components to the standard school curriculum. Life Ed’s educators visit schools and lead children to a better understanding of health and wellbeing issues, so they can make healthy choices as they progress.

Two ebullient educators spoke to the club last evening: Marsha Chiet, who looks after schools in our area, and Rachel McKinnon, who covers Wellington. Rachel was inducted into our club last week. And Harold came too.

Both are experienced primary teachers and relish their work with Life Ed.

Life Ed covers a range of topics outside the scope of primary school teachers because they are too specialised, are constantly changing, or perhaps, are better delivered by visiting rather than classroom staff.

Examples are water safety, nutrition, pubertal change, and ‘substances’.

Increasingly, new issues are arising, mostly driven by technology and the internet. Peer pressure and low self-esteem can lead to mental health problems. Children can access dubious sources of information as well as gaming platforms and violent content. Life Ed helps to guide them through these modern minefields.

Life Ed is clearly doing a good job: they are fully booked and welcomed into schools by staff and children alike.

It was good to be updated on the work of the Trust, and to see that in the classroom things are in good hands.