The College’s Care Professions students ran a range of sessions at Moorland Primary School for children from nursery to Year 5, with a range of fun activities including Easter crafts, Easter baking, gardening and woodworking. The school’s Year 6 pupils didn’t miss out – they spent the day at MK College’s workshop, making bird boxes to be distributed by Woughton Community Council across the area, as well as hearing from the Parks Trust about the importance of protecting our local wildlife.
Angela Garner, Head teacher at Moorland Primary School said, “All the students are so engaged and getting on so well with the children, and of course the children aren’t phased at all by having these strangers come in to interact with them. They’re having so much fun getting all this attention, and it means they can be talking one-to-one which is something they don’t normally get. They’re meeting all these fabulous role models, and they’re cooking, painting, woodwork and so on, all in a day, and it’s only possible because the students are here. Students and staff are all getting so much from it.”
Holly Gidman, Deputy Head of School for Care Professions at Milton Keynes College added, “We’ve got a lot of students who want to work in schools and it’s wonderful for them to come here to see what it’s like in a primary school. They’ve really enjoyed being out in the fresh air with the children, learning to communicate with them and with the staff. It’s such a fun day.”
Childcare student, Amileigha, said, “The children are so full of energy and are on the go non-stop. They all learn in different ways, and it’s been a great experience just spending some time with them.”
MK College Group’s College in the Community Day has now been running for three years and aims to get learners and staff involved in community projects across the Milton Keynes area. This year, more than 1,100 staff and students took part in more than 50 projects, including:
· Milton Keynes YMCA – catering and hospitality students hosted the charity’s monthly community lunch, while Hair, Beauty and Barbering learners provided free haircuts and manicures for residents. Students also raised more than £300 for YMCA through manicures at the College’s Graduate Salon and Business and Digital students holding a takeover at Volcano Falls
· MK Act and MK Foodbank – staff and students donated over 350 items which were sorted and delivered by the College’s students and staff
· Canal Society – a group of staff from the College supported with canal restoration activities
· White Ribbon campaign – art learners worked with Community Action:MK to design artworks for display across Milton Keynes in support of the White Ribbon campaign to raise awareness of violence against women and girls.
Chief Executive and Group Principal at MK College Group, Sally Alexander, said, “I look forward to our College in the Community Day every year, and this year didn’t disappoint. I visited lots of the projects and I’m very proud of how committed our colleagues and learners are to doing the best they can for charities and community groups. Some of the projects this year have continued or even expanded from last year, while others are brand new to us for 2025; it’s great to have such a diverse mix of projects.”
“Our local communities are at the heart of our Fairer Futures strategy, so I’m very proud that the College helps those that make a huge difference to the people in our amazing city. Well done and thank you to everyone involved.”
To find out more about the work the College Group does in our local communities, visit their website
