Supporting learning experiences for children beyond the classroom, encouraging skills transition, and supporting development of resilience, confidence and collaboration, are an important aspect of our community engagement and ESG agenda.
Opportunities for this learning are so important, and we are thrilled to have teamed again with Clever Cogz in 2022 to provide such experiences for children and their teachers. After the many challenges for schools and young people during the pandemic our 2021 Escape Rooms Wellness Roadshow visited 10 schools and 29 developments, across the country, offering a fun challenge with a wellbeing theme. Over 900 children participated and worked in small teams to solve the clues and escape together.
2022 saw increased access with 13 schools and a scout group, from across the UK, benefitting from the challenge, putting their collaboration and teamwork skills to the test. Having the opportunity to use learned life skills in another setting is an invaluable enhanced curricular learning experience.
Building strong communities is important and linking with schools close to our Simple Life Homes affords a real opportunity in this regard, and a chance to make a positive impact and difference.
Our reach for 2022 covered primary school children across the country from Oldham, Salford, Trafford, Walkden, Bolton, in Greater Manchester to St Helen’s in Merseyside, and Ellesmere Port in Cheshire. The roadshow also visited school children in Sheffield, and Bilston in the West Midlands before heading further south to Walthamstow, Suffolk, and Essex. We were delighted to add Shropshire Scouts to our list of friends this year and look forward to developing this connection going forward. In total over 1200 children enjoyed testing their skills and working together to solve the clues.
As we plan 2023’s Clever Cogz provision, we are working with schools to provide topics and activities covering those areas of the enhanced curriculum which are relevant and important to them. Workshop themes on offer by the Clever Cogz team include the Vikings, the Egyptians, World Wars and the Stone Age to name a few. We look forward to supporting schools in our local communities to access this exciting activity, and hear the feedback from children and their teachers.