Anne Taylor attends Hillbank church in Dundee. Having carried out Christian Youthwork in various parts of the UK, after retirement she knew that God was leading her back home to Dundee, where she had trained and worked as a Primary School Teacher for thirteen years over three decades ago.
She bought a house in February of 2020 with the aim of moving in April, planning to get involved with the children’s work at a local church, but the arrival of COVID shot all her plans to pieces. Anne couldn’t relocate until the end of May and churches and schools were in lockdown. Later in the year, she felt that God was telling her to contact a school close to the church she was attending online. Taking a step of faith, Anne emailed the headteacher and asked ‘What can I do to help?’
The headteacher responded quickly and enthusiastically. As soon as Anne’s PVG came through, she found herself in school for a couple of hours, four days a week, helping children who had fallen behind with their reading in lockdown. The reading scheme wasn’t one she was familiar with, and initially she felt overwhelmed by the rigid structure of the tutoring, and the fact that the children were being regularly assessed. However, with God’s help, Anne soon got on top of it and really enjoyed engaging with the children and observing their progress.
Once the churches reopened, she asked the headteacher’s permission to invite children to the midweek Kids Club which they had changed to immediately after school instead of later in the evening. This meant that the leaders of the club met the children who chose to attend in the playground and escorted them the short distance to the church each week.
A few members of the church were also involved in Transforming Lives for Good (TLG) in the school and encouraged the kids they mentored to come along to the club. But the church’s engagement with the school didn’t end there.
After asking if there were any other ways they could be a help, there was a suggestion of contributing to the school’s foodbank. Now, members of the church regularly donate food items to a box which is then taken into school. Two or three times a year, they also provide extra hampers with food, clothes and toys to a few families identified by staff as needing extra support. Inside the hampers, the members are permitted to put Christian literature and invitations to church events.
Anne was also able to donate a few old dolls’ houses which two of her friends had bought and done up to the school’s infant classrooms. This led to the friends being invited to work with a small group of children who helped decorate and make furniture for another doll’s house. Later, they were also able to offer to go in once a week to teach some of the kids to knit.
Through their growing links with the school, regional SU worker Susie Ford was able to get permission to organise Christmas and Easter Workshops in the school and in more recent years also set up Bible Alive, which has now become an established part of the RME Curriculum.
Anne says that in her experience, most schools are open to people asking if there is anything they can do to help, if they just have the courage to ask. Of course, procedure must be followed, and PVGs are always necessary, but be imaginative in what you can offer to schools. Could it be reading, crafts, or foodbank contributions? Could it be your experience with children, if you have been a parent or a teacher? Being used to kids and having an awareness of the school culture helps, as well as always prioritising respect in your place as a visitor.
She’s also recently moved from doing paired reading to being a mentor for children with emotional needs under TLG, which she highly recommends. Anne spends one hour a week with each child she mentors doing a variety of activities - playing board games, having fun with crafts, and using resources that TLG provide. Though she can’t talk about her faith with them, she’s allowed to invite them to church, and has a link with their parents.
Most recently, Anne has been given a vision from the Lord to organise a weekly drop in at church for parents or carers at 9 o clock for tea and toast when they are on their way home from dropping the children off at school. They would appreciate prayer that this offering will take off and be a blessing to their local community.
Image by Eric Robb Niven at https://sunrise.maplogs.com/dundee_city_uk.102682.html