#bablakecharity

Recent events in Ukraine were at the forefront of our thoughts as we returned to school after half term. A fortnight later we are still seeing harrowing images of the impact of the invasion on civilian areas of Kyiv and other cities. As a school we did not want to rush to address this with the pupils, and to be sure that when we did we were factual and balanced, as well as compassionate and empathetic.

Mrs Skilton, our Assistant Head and also a Russian history specialist, gave an outstanding assembly on Ukraine at the start of this week. I do hope your sons and daughters have since spoken with you at home about this. Pupils should now understand a little bit about the historical context the invasion, from the break up of the Soviet Union and the expansion of NATO. They should also recognise that many Russians are openly against the war despite the increasingly restrictive laws against protest emanating from the Kremlin. But most of all I hope they will remember the period of silent reflection at the end of the assembly when we took time to think about the families who have been directly affected by this horrendous war.

Mrs Skilton also touched on the helplessness that many of us are feeling while the Ukrainians fight back alone against the invading forces. While Bablake Prep are collecting goods to send to Ukraine, at the senior school we are planning to raise money to go towards the Disaster Emergency Committee or another suitable charity. Often we default to a non-uniform day to raise money, but it feels as though we should do something different and more substantial to mark our solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

The charity team have organised a sale of blue and yellow lapel ribbons next week, minimum donation £2, which will be sold next week. Over the coming weeks we will run other events and we would welcome your support as and when we announce those. Sadly, it seems as though this crisis will linger for some time. Whether through the impact of sanctions, through family ties with people in the region, or through compassion for our fellow men and women, this is going to affect us all for some time. By contributing to the relief operation we are at least doing something to help.