The school for Scouts! Headmaster of struggling academy introduces activities group to help make students more confident and considerate

• Headmaster of King Alfred School, Nathan Jenkins, is introducing the group 
• Ofsted ranked the academy ‘inadequate’ before the Scouts group launch  
• Almost 100 year seven and eight pupils, aged 11 to 13, have joined the 1st King Alfred’s Scout Group

A headmaster hoping to turn around an academy rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted has introduced what is probably Britain’s first school Scouts group.

Nathan Jenkins, who became head in September, hopes the group will make pupils more confident and considerate individuals – as well as teach them basic life skills such a sewing, ironing and boiling an egg.

The idea was proposed by English teacher – and local Scout leader – Lizzie Harvey when Mr Jenkins searched for ways to improve the school’s rating.

The headmaster of an ‘inadequate’ academy – King Alfred School in Highbridge, Somerset, is launching a Scout group  

The group at the King Alfred School, in Highbridge, Somerset, launched in January this year. It is currently the only one in a state secondary school and scouting chiefs say it may well be the first in the history of the movement.

Since January, almost 100 year seven and eight pupils, aged 11 to 13, have joined the 1st King Alfred’s Scout Group.

It is more than double the size of most of those outside schools and is a full member of Scouting UK, with pupils working towards the same badges as other Scouts. Miss Harvey, 27, said: ‘We were expecting around 25 or 30 kids to sign up. They keep telling their friends about it, so we keep getting more coming along.’ She is one of ten staff volunteers who run the weekly group after lessons in the school hall.

Since January the group has seen almost 100 children in year seven and eight join up to the 1st King Alfred’s Scout Group 

Miss Harvey, 27, said: ‘The idea is to encourage confidence, communication, teambuilding, resilience, honesty’

‘The idea is to encourage confidence, communication, teambuilding, resilience, honesty,’ she said, adding that the children’s involvement in Scouts was beginning to be reflected in their classroom behaviour, too.

Year seven pupil Reuben Kemp said that his favourite part of the Scouts was learning skills he can use to help out at home.

Year eight pupil Vibeke Farnsworth said: ‘I like learning things that some of my friends outside of Scouts don’t know how to do.’

Mr Jenkins said: ‘This group is just one piece of the “outstanding” school we are working towards. You can’t just manufacture the level of happiness and energy you see among the Scout group. If they weren’t learning these skills, the likelihood is that they might go home … and spend hours staring at a screen.’ The group now hope Chief Scout Bear Grylls will visit. He has already praised them as ‘absolutely brilliant’.

Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes called the pupils ‘incredible’, adding: ‘Outdoor activities make for brilliant people, well rounded and with self-confidence to try to achieve the impossible.’

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