Chair of Trustees nominated for an ACT Citizenship Teaching Award
ACT Citizenship Teaching Awards recognise and celebrate schools, leaders and organisations who have shown commitment to citizenship education and represents its core values.
Simon Haseltine, Chair of the Trust Board for Veritas Multi Academy Trust, has been nominated for its Citizenship Innovation Award, for going the extra mile to support students within Citizenship education.
Simon, in his role as application as volunteer for his demanding role as Chair of Trust Board, set out a pledge to ensure all our young people take their citizenship role of stewardship of our planet seriously.
Being Chair of a Multi Academy Trust has many dimensions but embedding active citizenship for sustainability is a priority for Simon. He attended the National Governance Association Conference shortly after taking up his role and has recognised the leadership role he can play from a governance perspective, to ensure sustainability is embedded in our Trust's mission, our curriculum and our education for young people.
Since coming into this role as Chair of the Trust Board, he has met with each School Council across our primary schools and supported them in their determination to make a difference. Simon has been an ardent and driven eco-warrior and has worked strategically to further the goals. But where the real difference comes is in how Simon has empowered our young people to be active change agents.
Simon has written our Trust's Sustainability Policy and Climate Action Plan - with the ambitious goal of "let's go zero by 2030".
Simon has led on the Trust's commitment to the Department for Education mission that all Schools will have a nominated sustainability lead and a Climate Action Plan. Simon knows that the imperative to getting this implemented is harnessing the energy of our young people. They have been empowered as active citizens to take a lead in delivering on our mission.
The culmination of this project over the last 18 months ( Simon is serious about this work, the planet cannot wait) will be a ECO Conference which the Trust is hosting in June 2025. Our three schools and five other schools from the East Kent/Canterbury area will be presenting on how they have taken an issue and managed their own project. The young people (age 5-11) will share the successes and difficulties they have faced AND importantly the evidence of impact.
The Conference presentation requires the children to share how they identified their project and how they have gone about implementing this. To date this includes children writing to organisations to get their support (money to buy recycling bins), meeting with school catering staff to discuss strategies to raise awareness of food waste and looking at up-cycling projects. The children's creativity is to be commended. The conference will require them to plan and present on their initiative; thereby demonstrating their public speaking and oracy skills.
Veritas MAT would like to congratulate Simon for his award shortlist and constant drive and determination to support the citizenship education of our young people.
Simon will join other finalists to celebrate his achievement at the House of Commons on 3rd June.