World AIMS 2026 at Prep

Pupils at Truro School Prep came off timetable for World AIMS Day this week, focusing on this year’s theme: “Rights for ALL” and having the confidence to care about children’s rights everywhere.

World AIMS (Action in Methodist Schools) Day encourages Methodist schools to be ‘good global neighbours’, and this year centred on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which outlines the 42 rights protected for every child, including education, play and protection from harm.

The day began with a whole-school assembly led by School Chaplain Rev Helen, encouraging pupils to consider the needs of others. Pre-Prep and Prep pupils then took part in a carousel of activities exploring children’s rights in Cornwall and worldwide, and our shared responsibility to uphold them.

In the ‘Rights for all Children in Cornwall’ zone, pupils focused on food and nutrition. Using recent stats from Trussell Trust and Cornwall Community Foundation, pupils learned about children in need of access to healthy food and shelter (UNCRC Articles 24 & 27). With resources from Leiths Education, they explored good nutrition and were challenged to feed a family of four for one day on a budget in a fun ‘trolley dash’ game.

Each pupil baked two bread rolls, one to keep and one to give away. A huge thanks to Mrs Knight for overseeing the baking of hundreds of rolls!

In the ‘Rights for All’ zone, pupils studied the 42 children’s rights and chose five to write on handprints as personal pledges. These were hung on a ‘Tree of Rights’ in the Lovett Hall and in the Pre-Prep, celebrating individuality and connection to children everywhere.

The ‘Rights Around the World’ zone used UNICEF resources to explore how children in Mongolia, India, Malawi and Sudan access their rights. Pupils created class ‘shields of rights’, thinking about how we can help protect children globally.

With drama and games in the afternoon, and creating mini videos of each right (with the aid of our Year 9 photography students), we brought our World AIMS day to a close with a presentation of the shields and a shared singing of the Methodist Schools Song: ‘Do all the good you can’, giving thanks for children’s rights everywhere.

The day perfectly reflected the Methodist ethos captured in John Wesley’s words:

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

It was a thoughtful day of learning and reflection, with the school community looking beyond itself, both to Cornwall and further afield, and considering how to take action where they can. We want to say a huge thank you to Rev Helen for leading the day and for creating such a memorable and engaging learning opportunity for our school.