Pupils from Plover School have sparked the beginning of an exciting year of community action by visiting the RSPCA Doncaster and Rotherham Branch with a donation of toys for the rescue dogs. The visit marks the start of an ongoing partnership, with similar volunteering workshops planned throughout the year.
During their time at the centre, students engaged in a comprehensive tour and spent time playing with the rescue dogs. They also learned about animal care and grooming in the RSPCA’s newly opened grooming centre, This new site welcomes bookings from the public, providing essential financial support to sustain the charity’s mission.
The visit was purposefully designed as part of Plover School’s First Week Back Crew activities. At XP Trust, the First Week Back is used every year to introduce or reaffirm the importance of ‘Crew’, utilising shared experiences to create and enforce the strong bonds that are the foundation of the school’s culture. These carefully planned activities allow students to reconnect with the purpose of Crew by engaging in selfless acts of kindness in the community and actively building community through various projects.
Abbie Taylor, Assistant Head and Crew lead at Plover School who organised the visit, shared the impact of the experience:
“Starting our academic year by engaging directly with our community sets the tone for everything we do. First Week Back is all about building our culture of Crew and demonstrating compassion through selfless acts of service. Bringing our students here to support the RSPCA allows them to connect with the world beyond the classroom.”
Catherine Watkins, the newly appointed Education Lead for the RSPCA, added:
“Stepping into this exciting new role allows me to work closely with schools across Doncaster and Rotherham. Having the Plover students here to learn about animal welfare, experience our new grooming centre, and bring joy to our rescue dogs has been wonderful. We are thrilled to continue this partnership and run more workshops and volunteering sessions together over the coming year.”
