In our first week back in the New Year, the Year 5 children have begun their new RE topic, “Missions.”

Our first lesson looked at the missions of inspirational leaders. We learnt about Elly Jansen, a Dutch student who was studying theology in London in 1959. She realised that many people who had finished their stay in a mental hospital had nowhere to go except to return to the same lonely place they were in before they needed to go to hospital. These people were depressed, anxious or distressed in some way and they had found it difficult to cope in the busy, complex world. 

Elly thought they needed a halfway house between leaving hospital and coping on their own. They needed affection and to know they were valued and able to help themselves and others. Elly rented a house in Richmond and started to look after three women. Her charity, Richmond Fellowship, still supports people today.

We drew pictures of the house and of Elly, adding information about her care and compassion - our Value of the Month!

In our first week back in the New Year, the Year 5 children have begun their new RE topic, “Missions.”

Our first lesson looked at the missions of inspirational leaders. We learnt about Elly Jansen, a Dutch student who was studying theology in London in 1959. She realised that many people who had finished their stay in a mental hospital had nowhere to go except to return to the same lonely place they were in before they needed to go to hospital. These people were depressed, anxious or distressed in some way and they had found it difficult to cope in the busy, complex world. 

Elly thought they needed a halfway house between leaving hospital and coping on their own. They needed affection and to know they were valued and able to help themselves and others. Elly rented a house in Richmond and started to look after three women. Her charity, Richmond Fellowship, still supports people today.

We drew pictures of the house and of Elly, adding information about her care and compassion - our Value of the Month!