Coventry school wins National Kindness Award

St Gregory Kindness Ambassadors

Source: PLMR

Pupils at a Coventry primary school have received national recognition for their efforts to make kindness part of everyday life.

St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, part of the Romero Catholic Academy, have been named runners-up in the Collective Kindness category at the National Kindness Awards.

Judges recognised the school's Kindness Ambassadors for working tirelessly to spread kindness across the school and wider community, leading a wide range of thoughtful projects designed to help people feel valued, supported and included.

Their work has included assemblies, kindness-themed story sharing, fundraising for 52 Lives, the charity behind the awards, introducing a Friendship Bench to tackle loneliness, a Kindness Notice Board which is regularly updated with uplifting messages and celebrations of kind acts, and special awards celebrating pupils who have gone above and beyond to help others.

The ambassadors have also built a close relationship with Phil Mead House, regularly visiting residents to read, sing songs, take part in crafts and spend time together.

The visits have created meaningful connections across generations, while also helping pupils to develop confidence, empathy and a strong sense of responsibility towards others.

Within school, the group has helped to make kindness visible in every part of the day.

They introduced a Kindness Advent Calendar, supported positive and inclusive play during Children's Mental Health Week and took part in Positive Noticing Day, as well as reading to younger children and helping pupils understand how small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

Their creativity has also shone through in projects such as decorating kindness stones for staff and marking National Smile Day by giving every child and adult a smiley sticker.

The National Kindness Awards celebrate inspiring individuals, groups and schools that are helping to make primary school communities kinder and more inclusive across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The free-to-enter awards are organised by the School of Kindness, a project of the 52 Lives charity, which delivers free workshops and assemblies to more than 280,000 children every year.

Judges said St Gregory's entry stood out because kindness had been woven through the entire school year, rather than being limited to a single event.

They were also impressed by the way the ambassadors' work reached pupils, teachers, support staff and members of the local community.

Charlene Ellis, Higher Level Teaching Assistant at St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, nominated the Kindness Ambassadors for the award.

She said: "We are absolutely delighted that our Kindness Ambassadors have been recognised in this way.

"They bring so much warmth, energy and compassion to everything they do, and their ideas have had a genuinely positive impact on children, staff and members of our wider community.

"What makes them so special is that kindness is not just something they celebrate on one day of the year. They have helped make it part of everyday life at St Gregory's, sprinkle kindness into everything they do, and we could not be prouder of them.

"To be chosen as runners-up from so many nominations across the country is a wonderful achievement and a brilliant reflection of the difference they continue to make."

The ambassadors are now developing an annual kindness plan to build on their success and ensure their ideas continue to grow, helping kindness remain at the heart of school life for years to come.