Our Year 6 students at Alice Smith School are embarking on an extraordinary path toward primary graduation, fuelled by an innovative partnership with Heriot-Watt University.
This collaboration empowers them to craft their own personal impact statements, bold declarations of their goals mirroring the reflective spirit of graduation ceremonies worldwide, where students showcase their growth.
Previously known as the Year 6 Challenge, this initiative has evolved into a more holistic, year-long programme that deepens student reflection and action, extending beyond a single event to foster sustained growth in values and purpose.
Working closely with Heriot-Watt University, the Year 6 team has developed a comprehensive programme that guides students through creating their own impact or purpose statements - personal declarations of how they intend to positively influence the world. We firmly believe that purpose cannot be imposed; it must be discovered through authentic self-exploration. This unit, formerly known as the Year 6 Challenge, enables all students to participate. It started in Term 1, with a Junior First Aid course, taught by Nurse Vivian.
In Term 3, the journey continues with a visit to Heriot-Watt University’s campus to launch the idea of a personal purpose that can evolve as a student grows. Back in school, students will then create their own individual purpose statements through the following process:
Identifying Who We Are - Students explore their individual strengths, interests, and values through guided reflection and assessment.
Discovering Our Purpose - Through structured inquiry, students uncover what drives them and where their passions align with societal needs.
Acting to Create Impact - Students translate their purpose into concrete actions, developing practical skills for positive change.
Students will be inspired by Alice Smith alumnus Simon Clinton, who will be visiting the school in May to share his work on saving wild tigers. For Simon, this cause is very central to his own sense of purpose. Having grown up in Malaysia, he founded a non-profit organisation, Save Wild Tigers focused on raising awareness and supporting efforts to protect wild tigers, especially the critically endangered Malayan tiger.
EXPO: A Showcase of Student Voice
The culmination of our Year 6 students' final academic year is their Impact Celebration EXPO and Graduation Assembly, highlighting student agency and real-world action. The EXPO transforms the Year 6 classrooms and corridor into a vibrant gallery where each student presents their purpose and the resulting research, actions and impact related to a chosen SDG in their own chosen formats - models, videos or interactive displays. It's a call to action for visitors, inviting families to explore how these young trailblazers envision purposeful lives, much like the personalised exhibits at elementary graduation fairs.
Moving to the hall, the Graduation Assembly celebrates all Year 6 students and their achievements. During this assembly, students will be officially presented with their Primary Campus chronicle - a narrative of their growth, achievements, and the many moments that made their time here unique - a keepsake to treasure as a lasting reminder of their wonderful years at the Primary Campus.
Our Year 6 programme of activity in the final year at not only previews the pride of Year 6 graduation but launches our students toward futures brimming with impact and possibility.
Heriot-Watt University Support
- Impact Statement Writing: Heriot-Watt educators will guide Year 6 students in articulating research-driven goals, from environmental projects to wellbeing initiatives, fostering the leadership seen in traditional graduation legacy activities.
- Campus Visit Adventure: Students tour facilities and meet innovators, igniting dreams for secondary school and beyond, akin to inspirational guest speakers at primary ceremonies.