Our community links

At Longdean, we believe it’s important to forge relationships with local communities and those around the world. This enables us to promote and reinforce our values of social responsibility and caring for others.

MCR Pathways

Do you care about and want to make a difference to young people in Hertfordshire? 

MCR Pathways is a national, award-winning mentoring programme, dedicated to ensuring Hertfordshire’s vulnerable and disadvantaged young people are defined by their talent and never by their circumstances. MCR Pathways' in-school mentoring profoundly impacts mentees' confidence, well-being, achievement and post-school progression. 

Mentors spend just one hour each week listening to and encouraging a young person in their school. The relationship they develop makes all the difference. There are no special skills required to become a mentor - if you care, you’re qualified to help. To find out more, [click here].

Working in partnership with parents
We work closely with parents and canvass their views regularly, and staff are accessible via email, phone and meetings, which means we are able to foster a genuine, supportive partnership with parents to ensure our students are supported at home and at school.

Local links
Our school and sports facilities are shared with local people and our students take part in local sporting and academic competitions. Every year, we organise fundraising events, where students and staff get together to raise funds for local charities. We also encourage our sixth-formers to engage in community service either within the school or the wider community to gain a broader perspective on the world and give something back.

Through our Alumni Network, we work with former students, who share their experiences and skills learned since leaving school, to help us motivate, inspire and boost the confidence of current students so they can make informed choices about their futures.

Our students also have unique access to other schools, businesses, charities, higher education institutions and employers through our involvement with the East Dacorum Cooperative Learning Trust. This collaboration means they are able to take advantage of special educational and work opportunities.

Reaching out globally
Through our international schools work, over 13 years, Longdean students have been involved in supporting an array of important international projects. These include the building and running of an ICT suite for a junior high school in Bedomase in Ghana, as well as the opening of a new secondary school, Fast Track College, in the village. 

School 1

The partnership has allowed students and staff from both communities to engage with each other, with several reciprocal visits being made. These projects have helped support the local community and dozens of local schools, challenged adult illiteracy, created employment opportunities and made positive changes to lives in this part of rural West Africa. Longdean has been awarded the prestigious International Schools Award since 2010, and our work has been recognised by the Royal Geographical Society, The SSAT (Schools Network) and the Parliamentary Review.

Fast Track 1

A short presentation is available by clicking here.

Updated 28/11/2022