The Godolphin and Latymer School aims to help girls to realise that we all have responsibilities, both as an organisation and as individuals, to the community to which we belong. We aim to open our facilities and to offer our services to the community in Hammersmith and Fulham in particular, as well as contributing to national and international projects. We believe that participation in such schemes is invaluable in helping our girls to understand the difficulties which many others have to face and in preparing them to become responsible and concerned citizens as adults.
We also aim to make the school a centre of cultural and intellectual activities for the community. Use the menu links on the left to view the programmes for the Ancient World Breakfast Club and the Film Appreciation Society.
About 160 girls from the fifth and sixth forms and many staff are involved in community service activities and voluntary work placements. Many choose to work with children with learning difficulties, to mentor primary school children, to visit the elderly and sick or to help in local nurseries, residential homes or a neighbourhood centre. We have a range of literacy and language enrichment projects for pupils in local primary schools and some girls work as class assistants.
All girls entering for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and the International Baccalaureate in the sixth form offer an element of community service, organised either by the school or independently. Some work with local charities on a regular basis and for special events.
The school’s Social Services Team organises weekly fund-raising for a range of charities, as well as running monthly tea-parties for the elderly. The annual Christmas party and pantomime attracts over 200 elderly local residents and Christmas parcels are sent to them and others. For full details of the Social Services programme, please see the section on these pages on Social Services. Many girls also have links with local charitable organisations such as KUMON (which helps children with literacy and numeracy) and KINOE (Kids in Need of Education).
The Ancient World Breakfast Club (described as ‘the best start to the weekend yet devised’), with its associated Classical Greek language classes, meets every Friday to offer members of the community breakfast and a lecture on a wide range of subjects of general interest. See the Classics department/extra-curricular activities. A film appreciation society for the community is now entering its second year and the school aims to be seen as a cultural centre for the local area.
The Music and Drama departments hold regular community projects and invite local schools to performances. The Art and Design department invites visitors to their end-of year exhibitions. See their Events sections for details, dates and contact information.
As work progresses on the restoration of St. John’s Church and the building of our new Music School, we are actively looking for ways to share our new facilities with local groups, organisations and schools. The Hall and other existing spaces are currently available for hire at cost price and are used regularly by, for example, St. Peter’s Singers.
Further projects are being developed with Emerson House Dyslexic and Dyspraxic Centre and with Phoenix High School.
Lucy Shackleton (Community Links Co-ordinator) - Email: lshackleton@godolphinand latymer.com
