Question 1

What is a School Kindness Cafe?

Accepted Answer

A School Kindness Cafe is a regular, welcoming space within your school for children who might find friendships or social times difficult.Children can come along to play a game, have a healthy snack, start a conversation or simply spend time with other pupils.It isn't intended to be another adult-led lunchtime club. Pupil Kindness Ambassadors play a central role in creating an environment where other children feel comfortable joining in.

Question 2

Who are Kindness Ambassadors?

Accepted Answer

Kindness Ambassadors are pupils chosen by the school to help run and shape the Cafe.They will receive access to our Kindness Ambassador training video and resources to help them understand their role.Ambassadors might welcome a child who arrives on their own, invite somebody to join a game, use conversation cards to get children talking, or notice when someone is finding it difficult to join in.The aim isn't for pupils to become counsellors or deal with bullying incidents themselves. Their role is to help create a friendly and inclusive social environment, with appropriate staff supervision always in place.

Question 3

What does the £500 grant provide?

Accepted Answer

Schools can receive up to £500 of resources and support to help establish their School Kindness Cafe.Depending on the needs of your school, this can include games, conversation and friendship activities, Ambassador resources, badges or lanyards, Cafe materials and an initial supply of healthy snacks.You will also receive access to our Kindness Ambassador training video and guidance to help staff establish the Cafe.

Question 4

Will our school receive £500 in cash?

Accepted Answer

No. More Than Flags and Rainbows manages the grant funding and will purchase and provide the agreed resources for your School Kindness Cafe.The package provided to each successful school will have a value of up to £500.

Question 5

Are there application deadlines?

Accepted Answer

You can apply at any time. We will select schools approximately one month before the end of each term, ready to start at the beginning of the following term. Before you accept the grant, we will ask you to confirm a start date.

Question 6

Who is the Cafe for?

Accepted Answer

The Cafe should be available to children who would benefit from additional opportunities to connect with other pupils.This might include children experiencing loneliness, friendship difficulties, bullying or low confidence, children who feel anxious during social times, children who find busy playgrounds overwhelming, or children who simply find it difficult to join a group.We don't want the Cafe to label children as having a problem. It should be a positive and welcoming part of school life that pupils feel comfortable choosing to attend.

Question 7

Does our school need to have a bullying problem to apply?

Accepted Answer

No.We recognise that recorded bullying incidents don't always tell the whole story. Loneliness, friendship difficulties, social isolation and a lack of belonging may never result in a formal bullying report.We want schools to be open about the challenges their pupils experience and the gap a School Kindness Cafe could help address.

Question 8

What does our school need to provide?

Accepted Answer

Participating schools will need to provide a suitable space for the Cafe, a named member of staff to oversee the project and appropriate staff supervision.Schools will also need to recruit and support pupil Kindness Ambassadors, give them time to complete the training and provide regular opportunities for the Cafe to operate.We will ask for some brief monitoring and feedback so that we can understand the impact of the project and demonstrate its value to funders.

Question 9

How often should we run our Cafe?

Accepted Answer

We aren't prescribing one model because every school is different.We would expect the Cafe to operate regularly enough for children to recognise it as a consistent part of school life. For many schools this could mean a particular lunchtime each week, while others may choose to run it more frequently.Your application will ask you to tell us what would realistically work in your school.

Question 10

Will funding continue indefinitely?

Accepted Answer

No. The funding is designed to establish your School Kindness Cafe.The games, Ambassador resources and many of the materials can continue to be used after the funded period. We will provide an initial supply of healthy snacks, but schools should consider how snacks and other consumable items could be sustained longer term.We are particularly interested in working with schools that want the Cafe to become a lasting part of their approach to pupil wellbeing and belonging.

Question 11

Which areas are currently funded?

Accepted Answer

We currently have funding to support a minimum of seven schools in specific areas around:RiscaSwanseaPontyclunAberdareAbertilleryWe will use your school's address and postcode to determine whether your school falls within one of our currently funded areas.If your school is not in one of these areas, please still apply. We are actively seeking additional funding to expand School Kindness Cafes into other parts of Wales.Applications from schools outside our current funded areas provide valuable evidence of demand. With your permission, we will retain your application and contact you if suitable funding becomes available for your area.

Question 12

How will schools be selected?

Accepted Answer

Places are limited and applications are not assessed on a first-come, first-served basis.We will prioritise schools that can demonstrate a genuine need, identify a gap the Cafe could address, show meaningful commitment to pupil leadership and explain how they will give the Cafe the best chance of continuing.We aren't looking for schools to tell us that everything is already working perfectly. We want to understand where children are experiencing challenges and how this project could make a difference.

Question 13

When could we start?

Accepted Answer

Our first funded School Kindness Cafes are expected to begin during the 2026/27 academic year.The application form will ask when your school would realistically be ready to launch so that we can match schools with the available funding and delivery timetable.

Question 14

How do we apply?

Accepted Answer

Complete our short online application form. It should only take a few minutes.We'll ask about the needs you're seeing in your school, the support you already provide, how you would run your Cafe and your commitment to supporting pupil Kindness Ambassadors.Click here to apply

Up to £500 of funded support to help your school create a space where every child can belong

Frequently asked questions