School Partnership Spotlight: Sandwell Academy

Building skills and creating lasting change through youth social action

At Sandwell Academy in the West Midlands, young people have been leading social action projects that address real issues in their community, from food poverty to access to school uniform, while developing the Essential Skills they need for the future.

Through a long-term partnership with Envision, four cohorts of young people have now taken part in the programme, creating projects that not only build Essential Skills and confidence, but continue to have a lasting impact across the school community.

Hear directly from young people and Headteacher James Saunders as they reflect on their experience of social action at Sandwell Academy.

A partnerships focused on skills and personal development

Sandwell Academy chose to work with Envision to give young people opportunities to develop skills beyond the curriculum, supporting their personal development, wellbeing, and sense of place within the community.

As James explains:

“We believe that the education of young people comprises many things, there are things they learn within the curriculum, and there are other things that contribute to their personal development, their well-being, and their sense of place in the community. What Envision has done is encourage students to see themselves within both of those things.”

Through Envision’s social action model, young people are supported to identify issues that matter to them and take action to address them within their school and wider community.

Youth social action

Across multiple cohorts, Sandwell Academy students have delivered a range of projects focused on real community challenges.

These include:

• Food for Thought, which increased awareness of food poverty and encouraged students to consider those less fortunate in their community
  
• Uniform Unity, which addressed the financial pressure of school uniform costs for families

James describes how students were supported to take ownership of these issues:

“We found that many families were struggling to afford uniform, so we thought we needed to do something about it. And the most powerful way of doing that was to support the young people themselves to take action.”

Developing Essential Skills for life

At Sandwell Academy, staff have seen students grow into advocates for their community.

“The skills that Envision values so highly have really made our students advocates for their generation. We’ve wanted to develop students’ social and cultural capital, to help them understand that they are citizens of the world, and that they have a role to play in it.”

The programme gives young people the tools and confidence to step into that role, enabling them to engage with real-world challenges in a meaningful way.

Creating a culture of social action

Beyond individual projects, Envision has helped embed a wider culture of social action across the school. Students are increasingly encouraged to think about their role in the wider community and the impact of their actions.

As James explains:

“What Envision has done is really encourage students to think about what they can achieve within the wider community, and how the small actions they are each responsible for contribute to a much bigger picture. What our young people have done is confront the challenges facing society head on.”

Lasting impact and legacy

A key focus for Sandwell Academy has been ensuring that student projects create lasting change, rather than short-term activity. This legacy is already visible across the school.

Through Uniform Unity, Year 11 students now donate uniform to younger students each year, supporting families across the school community.

Through Food for Thought, the school is developing a Food Pantry, providing students, families, and the wider community with access to good quality food, recipe cards, and cooking skills.

James reflects on this long-term impact:

“We wanted there to be a real legacy. The legacy of these projects has been really profound.”

Work with us

Interested in bringing Envision into your school?

Get in touch to find out how we can support young people to lead meaningful social action and develop Essential Skills for education, employment and wellbeing.