Your local RSPCA
Report crueltyCompassionate Class
Compassionate Class is our inspiring educational programme for primary school aged children. It encourages and furthers their development of compassion and empathy through a series of fun and engaging animal welfare topics.
Using an interactive, stimulating and discussion-based approach, our Compassionate Class curriculum provides a thought-provoking and lively learning experience. Resources include films, animations and real life stories to enable children to better understand the varied needs of different animals.
After introducing the concept of compassion through our starter activity, we have a variety of discovery activities to choose from, including: pets, wildlife, farm animals and even life under the sea! By the end of each session, pupils will better understand how their lives relate to the animals they share the world with.
The last step in the Compassionate Class journey is to complete an advocacy activity that tasks pupils with championing animal welfare in a creative and imaginative way. We encourage schools to enter their creative outputs into one of the termly competitions to be crowned the RSPCA's most Compassionate Class.
What's new?
Each year we launch a brand-new discovery topic. This autumn sees the release of our exciting Animal Rescuers lesson, which explores how the RSPCA helps pets and wild animals in need. Through our animation and supporting activities, children will gain an insight to the role of our rescue officers and discover how they help rescue, rehabilitate, rehome or release sick and injured animals.
Can you help us inspire the next generation of animal lovers?
We want 1.6 million school children to have taken part in Compassionate Class by 2030, helping to foster empathy and responsibility for animals in a generation of young people.
When this generation of children get older, they'll be far more empathetic towards the needs of animals and they'll be more willing to contact the RSPCA when they suspect that an animal is being mistreated. Our hope is that this will reduce animal suffering for generations to come.
- David Allen, RSPCA, Head of Prevention and Education
If you are a parent, carer, grandparent, aunt or uncle to a 7-11 year old, please tell their school about Compassionate Class today
If you're a teacher or educator, please visit our education site, where you will not only be able to access and download all our free Compassionate Class resources, but we have a range of other free lesson plans and materials for all age groups too.
