We exist because the world needs schools to thrive.
We have been profoundly concerned and unsettled in the last year by the way in which major conflict has come to dominate our attention. First in Ukraine and now in the Middle East, we have been witnessing the horrors of conflict with terrible loss of life, destruction of communities and forced migrations on a daily basis. Of course, we know that the world is scarred by many other conflicts, with many origins, and we recognise, sadly, there are tensions and hostilities in other parts of the world. We should be concerned by any conflict that endangers life and threatens universal human rights.
Our work means that we especially appreciate the challenges that conflict poses to schools, whether in the region concerned, internationally or in the UK. Some schools will be in or close to the conflict zones, others will have close links to the communities involved, and almost all schools will be providing support to students and their families, including those directly or indirectly affected, to help them to make sense of what they see unfolding on every news bulletin, news feed or social media platform.
Thriving schools are built on an environment where all members of their communities feel safe, supported and included. We thought about this at the outset of the Ukraine War and our thoughts then seem still so relevant as another war has so devastatingly opened up. Thriving schools provide a place for individuals to grow and develop and they enable individuals to fulfil useful roles in society. At their core, we believe that schools should enable future generations to have respect for one another, develop a moral compass and help their communities learn how to resolve conflict peacefully. These fundamental freedoms form a strong social fabric.
At RSAcademics we stand with schools as they find their own ways to address the world’s current tensions, the search for peace and all our global challenges. These extraordinary times only increase our resolve to use our expertise, experience and networks to support schools.