A Catholic school designates a week every year to encouraging small acts of kindness on the part of students and teachers. The benign ripple effect of these acts extends throughout the school and beyond

small acts can have a big impact – and can create a kinder world. Imagine what it would be like if everyone thought of little ways of bringing a bit of light into other people’s lives. Imagine if a whole school community did this – and the parents, the parish and wider community.

This was the impulse that drove St Mary’s Catholic Academy in Blackpool to pilot an Acts of Kindness (AOK) week. The idea was the brainchild of Teresa Onions, director of Pastoral Care UK, and has its precursors in the Random Acts of Kindness movement. The aim was to facilitate an experience for the whole school system, and for pupils’ families, of an environment of heightened kindness for a window of time. It was hoped that by raising people’s consciousness of how good it feels to give and receive kindness, a ripple effect would be created, which would spread outside the school environment.

At the heart of this initiative is Christ’s command: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34). And perhaps also the “Little Way” of St Thérèse of Lisieux, who showed how the ordinary tasks of life, performed with love, can be holy. We hoped that being kind and receiving consideration from others would boost pupils’ self-esteem, and enhance relationships, in school and family life, which are so crucial to emotional well-being and resilience.

It is important for the head teacher and the staff to share in the vision of the week – and equally important to have grass-roots enthusiasm through the student council or a student steering group. St Mary’s devoted time during staff meetings, RE classes, assemblies and morning worship to communicate the core principles.