Recognising that colorectal cancer cases within our local authority (Rhondda Cynon Taf, RCT) is the fourth most common cancer, and higher than the Wales average, an initial partnership was formed between Pontypridd High School and the Moondance Cancer Initiative charity in 2019. Pontypridd High worked with a range of health professionals based within the University Health Board of Cardiff and the Vale. The aim was to deliver an education programme that could support the work of health colleagues in relation to this critical, but treatable health issue. The programme would be authentic, meaningful and relevant to our pupils and adults in the local community.
A focus for the learning programme has been to improve the pupils’ understanding of cancer and in particular bowel cancer from causes to screening and recovery rates. The importance of screening as a part of this learning is crucial because early diagnosis and treatment brings much higher survival rates. Screening data shows that in some areas of the school catchment the uptake for those eligible adults is below 50% against a national average that is above 60%.

Responding to that stark statistic, pupils have used their learning to help make a difference in their community, working through the learning programme to pass on this important message to parents, carers and other family members.
Building on the successful pilot work at Pontypridd High, the project grew in 2021/22 to include six RCT secondary schools within the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board region. The partnership and collaboration between education and health professionals has been fundamental to the quality of resources and learning included in this programme and each school has been able to develop new delivery models, in their own way – in their localities.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB conducted their own evaluations of the work of the six schools and concluded there had been 115% rise in requested bowel screening kits in the local area of RCT where the six schools delivered the programme. This compared to a 22% increase in a neighbouring part of the local authority. Furthermore, they reported that there had been a 72% rise in the number of screening tests returned in our area which is a significant and the health board confirmed that the work in schools had contributed greatly to this improvement.

The impact on pupil engagement has also been clear, with each school evolving the project as it introduces Curriculum for Wales in Years 7 and 8. Lessons have developed cross-cutting skills and involved Science and Technology, Languages, Literacy and Communication, and Health and Well-being, the authentic context bringing real-world learning into the classroom.
Co-ordinator Marie Sidoli says “Pupils see the ‘why’ of learning when they work with real health statistics such as those for bowel cancer and they are highly engaged. And of course the whole project fits naturally with the four purposes.”
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