Campaigning for the FA to pay living wage
- 30 students
- Years 7-11
- 2 months
Many students at Ark Academy have relatives and friends who work at Wembley stadium, usually on low wages. The student Social Action team felt this was an inequality that needed addressing and identified the London living wage as a realistic target to press the FA to pay. The students set up a petition and then marched from the school to the stadium to present the petition, gaining national press coverage. Following this, the FA met with students and agreed to increase wages for direct employees. However, the campaign continues as the FA has yet to increase wages for contracted employees.
Run by: Science teacher
External involvement: Citizens UK provided links to journalists
Other attributes developed: Experience of talking to people in power, talking to journalists, campaigning for a cause, feeling that they can make a difference
Reflection: After the march, students took part in several sessions discussing how it went and how future projects could be improved
Opportunities to link to career-related learning: Gatsby Benchmarks 2 and 5 - Learning from career and labour market information, and encounters with employers and employees
Links to curriculum learning: PSHE
