Care Home Visits by Sixth Form Pupils

Fifteen Sixth Formers have been visiting local care homes one afternoon a week, as part of a school initiative to form close partnerships with local community groups. The boys visit elderly care home residents each week, and play music, chat to the residents, or play board games with them.

This has proved to be mutually beneficial. The care home staff have commented on the residents’ enjoyment of the music and conversation with the boys. The boys have really enjoyed playing music to the residents and chose to carry on these visits for longer than planned, despite many of them studying four A-Levels; they have enjoyed learning and practising new songs to play.

Aims

To visit elderly residents in local care homes for conversation, board games and to play them music.

Background

We contacted a local befriending charity, Friends for Life, and discussed with them how pupil visits to care homes might work. It was suggested that boys might like to play music or play games with the residents. We contacted two local care homes initially and a third one later.

Resources

One group of boys took along their guitars. Another group took a chess board.

Impact

Feedback from the care home manager at Lillibet House:

‘The boys are an absolute credit to the school and their manners are impeccable. They have really engaged so well with the residents and are well received.’

Pupil Involvement

15 Sixth Form pupils spread across 5 groups.

Frequency

Weekly.