The Pupil Power Assembly 2024

We are excited to announce that the Pupil Power Assembly is returning for the fifth year running! Join us this November 22nd when we will broadcast live to schools across the UK to inspire the next generation of ocean activists. This year, we are excited to be able to offer two 1.5 hour tailored assemblies for Primary (9:30am – 11:00am) and Secondary schools (1pm – 2:30pm). And did we mention it’s completely FREE?!

Sign up here!

What is the Pupil Power Assembly?

The Plastic Free Schools Pupil Power Assembly is an online event open to educational settings across the UK designed to inspire young people to connect with and care for our blue spaces. The aim of the Assembly is to provide pupils with the tools to ensure their voices are heard at the highest levels and to inspire and remind them why it is so important to protect our oceans. This year, we will be joined by guest speakers with various connections to water, including activists, sustainability experts, and athletes.

Each 90-minute assembly is a dynamic event full of live lessons and interactive activities to help pupils explore their relationship with water. The assemblies are designed to connect young people to the natural environment and empower pupils to harness the power of their voices to take action to protect it. We can promise that the event will be both educational and fun!

And if you’re worried about getting a numb bum, don’t be. There will be plenty of opportunities to get up and be active throughout the assembly!

WHO CAN ATTEND?

The first Assembly is best suited for upper Early Years through to Key Stage Two. The second Assembly is best suited for Key Stage Three. It’s open to all schools and educators, including home educators–the more, the merrier!

Sign up to be the first to find out which speakers are in the line up this year!

What’s in store for 2024?

This year, we’re excited to offer a Pupil Power Assembly programme focused on our relationship with water. The aim of this programme is to help pupils feel a sense of belonging with water in all forms, and in turn to feel inspired to care for the water in their communities and beyond.

This year’s programme will encourage pupils to explore their own relationship with water. We will be joined by guest speakers with various connections to water who will share their perspectives on why we need the ocean and why the ocean needs us. We’ll encourage pupils to connect with water near where they live in order to think about how they might care for those bodies of water and themselves.

At Surfers Against Sewage, we are a community of water lovers and it is from a connection to our blue spaces that we are driven to care for them. We exist because we know that, in order to thrive as people, we need a thriving ocean. We want to inspire young people to feel a deep sense of love and care for water, and in turn to harness that care to empower positive change. By inspiring pupils to connect with the ocean, we hope to create ocean activists everywhere!

Why we hold the Pupil Power Assembly?

Pupils are our future, the change makers and the inspirational voices we need to hear and listen to for the Ocean Decade and Climate Emergency.

That is why, at Surfers Against Sewage, we create resources to inspire a generation of Ocean Activists and guide pupils on their path to becoming changemakers in their schools, communities and beyond.

Last year, thousands of pupils signed up to the assembly and showed a tremendous amount of passion, energy, determination and love for the ocean. Join us again this year so we can continue to create a thriving planet with thriving oceans and thriving people.

Sign up here

Testimonies from previous participants

 “Year 5 Lion class are enjoying and participating in the plastic free school power to the pupil live assembly. Some really good ideas and ways to improve school to be more plastic free”

“Thank you @sascampaigns for a wonderful live lesion this morning. We have learnt so much and Koala class really enjoyed learning about how they can save the oceans!”

• Hatfield Woodhouse Primary

Sign up here!

Not signed up to PFS yet?

Plastic Free Schools is a pupil-led, change-making programme for young people to encourage care for the environment. It equips and empowers youths to become activists with the tools to create positive and lasting environmental change. And it’s completely FREE!

The programme not only inspires pupils to tackle unnecessary single-use plastics in their school but it encourages them to work with Industry and Government to take action on environmental challenges.

The programme is linked to the National Curriculum and other relevant guidelines, and we have separate versions for early years, primary schools and secondary schools. To achieve the Plastic Free Schools status, schools have to complete 5 objectives which form the basis of any good campaign and which are tailored to your educational setting.

Once you enrol your school, we will send a welcome pack with all the resources and clean up kit you need in order to achieve the Plastic Free Schools status. You will have access to your own teacher’s dashboard where you can upload your progress and evidence for completing the objectives, which we will assess and approve.

But don’t worry, we don’t expect schools to be fully plastic-free. Our aim is to free where we live from the avoidable stuff that’s everywhere. These are things like plastic drink bottles, disposable coffee cups, bathroom plastics, excessive food packaging, take away containers etc. These are the things we can eliminate in our lives and make a huge impact on our environment.

Sign up to PFS here!