Schools don’t operate in isolation and Hensingham staff are keen for pupils to make connections with the wider community.

Initiatives during the pandemic have seen children collecting for hampers for those in need; designing cards and pictures for patients at West Cumberland Hospital and Christmas cards for local care home residents.

Headteacher Faye Eldon said: “We are at the heart of the community and we want our children to be interested in what is going on in their community and to take pride in where they come from and the things they are doing.

“When we are back in school, we’ve a visit planned to the local fire station. Children may go past there every day but if they know the people who are in there helping them then I think that’s a really important message for them to learn; that they are part of a community.

“It’s something that we saw in the first lockdown with people clapping for the NHS and putting rainbows in their windows and that’s carried on.

“It’s good to be kind and to understand what people are doing for us. We want this to be fundamental for our children so that, for instance, they would want to send a message to cheer someone up or they would want to be that kind person. It is something we really work on in school.”

Well-being and positive mental health are also high on the agenda at Hensingham.

Each year has pupil well-being champions and on Well-being Wednesdays there are activities like yoga, mindfulness, hand massages, or breathing techniques to help deal with stressful situations.

Mrs Eldon added: “It’s all about giving them strategies to help cope with life. We also celebrate the things they are involved with. It’s nice to be recognised for good things and for our children it’s a real positive they are recognised for being kind or having good manners.”

Before the latest lockdown, teachers wanted to connect with parents, who due to restrictions weren’t allowed into school, and get pupils cooking from the comfort of their own homes. The result was a live online cook-a-long where children logged in via Teams and baked shortbread with Harriet Chappell of Phunky Foods.