Vision, Values and Curriculum Drivers
Vision- To nurture a community of lifelong learners
Here at Shotley Community Primary school we strive for our children to become Articulate Adventurers, Global Guardians and Learning Leaders. Here is what this means for their day to day learning in our school:
Articulate Adventurers (The Arts) (Be Curious)
All pupils have opportunities to express themselves through various mediums- dance, drama, music, Art, sports, performances
All pupils have opportunities to develop their confidence and belief in themselves- Pastoral support, PSHE, JONK (The Joy of not knowing) philosophy work, Thrive approach
Pupil voice is integral to decision making- pupil surveys, Let’s Talk Assemblies, developing oracy skills
Opportunities for all pupils to have some autonomy and be curious- Project based learning, questions to stimulate thinking
All pupils have the opportunities to have a range of experiences within and outside of school- cross curricular activities, local and wider visits
All pupils have opportunities to develop in confidence and self belief
Global Guardians (Community, Environment and Global Awareness) (Be Safe and Responsible)
All pupils develop a good knowledge of the local community and the wider world
All pupils are good citizens and take responsibility to care for the environment and understand the part they play in its future- Woodland school
Our pupils respect the differences and diversities in all cultures- British values
All pupils are aware of the importance of their own wellbeing and that of others
All pupils have opportunities to promote and learn how to be sustainable- Woodland school
All pupils have a sense of belonging
Learning Leaders (Be Ready, Be Kind)
All pupils understand how they learn- Neuroscience (Thrive)
All pupils learn how to regulate their own emotions and Wellbeing - Zones Of Regulation, Thrive, Woodland school
All pupils are active in their learning
All pupils take responsibility for their own learning- JONK
All pupils promote learning to each other and develop a love of learning
All pupils learn about respect and treating each other with kindness and understanding of our individual needs and differences
All pupils demonstrate the schools learning dispositions
Shotley B’s
Be Ready, Be Responsible and Safe, Be Respectful, Be Curious, Be Kind and Be Proud
Why bees?
The greatest contribution of bees and other pollinators is the pollination of nearly three quarters of the plants that produce 90% of the world’s food!
A third of the world’s food production depends on bees, i.e. every third spoonful of food depends on pollination.
Like our pupils, bees need to be nurtured and are part of a community who cooperate, are always ready and active in their job role and are curious.
British Values
We develop children’s understanding of their role in British society; year groups across the school study British history and key figures that have had an impact on our society. We hold assemblies in school to develop children’s understanding of our core values, we also gather at St Mary’s Church key celebrations such as Remembrance, Harvest, Easter and Christmas. Our PSHE curriculum and ‘circle time’ give the opportunity for children to discuss their ideas and values and develop their social skills.
As a school we discuss and celebrate significant cultural events for example annual Poppy Day, religious festivals or special events such as the Olympics, the Golden Jubilee or Royal weddings. We also try to raise pupil’s awareness of democracy and political events in the UK such as the Local and General Election. This helps our pupils begin to feel part of British society and therefore helps develop their sense of responsibility for their role as a citizen of the future.
How do we promote British Values?
What are ‘British values’? The Government has asked all schools to ensure children understand British values. All have a duty to ‘actively promote’ the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
Here’s how we do this at Shotley CP School:
Democracy
The school has a School Council and Peer mentors, made up of elected children from across the school who wish to act as ambassadors, to give the children a voice and to support the school with the organisation of events such as charity fundraising, support and lunchtimes and improving levels of activity across the school.
Throughout the year, the children are asked directly for their feedback on different aspects of their school life. This allows the children to express their views effectively and highlight areas for further development in school. The children also share their views in our weekly 'Let's Talk Assemblies' where a range of topical and relevant subjects are covered.
The Rule of Law
Our children will encounter rules and laws throughout their entire lives. We want our children to understand that whether these laws govern the class, the school, the neighbourhood or the country, they are set for good reasons and must be adhered to.
This understanding of the importance of rules is consistently reinforced through assemblies and our curriculum. The involvement of our children in the creation of class rules helps them to understand the reasons behind the rules and the consequences if they are broken. Through PHSE, RE and general class discussions, children are given opportunities to debate and discuss the reasons for laws so that they can recognise the importance of these for their own protection. Throughout the year we welcome visits from members of the wider community including Police, the Fire Service, paramedics, nurses, the local farmer and the local vicar. Children also demonstrate this by following our own school values- the Shotley B's.
Individual Liberty
We invest a great deal of time in creating a positive culture in our school, so that children are in a safe environment where choices and freedoms are encouraged. Our enrichment offer is broad, allowing children to choose to pursue areas of interest including arts and crafts, various competitive and non-competitive sports and cookery.
Mutual respect
Our rules, expectations and daily interactions are built upon mutual respect. Our thorough transition process helps to create a shared ethos with our feeder playgroup and the local high school, and key sporting events (intra- and inter-schools), allow our children to embody respect. We are extremely proud of our children and other school staff and sports coaches often complement our children on their behaviour, sportsmanship and attitude towards sports. Again children demonstrate this by following our Shotley B's.
Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
The area that we serve is not particularly diverse, which can sometimes create a barrier to understanding those that have a different heritage to that of our own. We try to provide opportunities for the children to experience different cultures through our curriculum, by offering a culturally rich and diverse experience in which major religions are studied and respected. We strongly believe that tolerance is gained through knowledge and understanding. We also have a weekly Lyfta assembly where children virutally visit different parts of the world to explore different communities, faiths and beliefs.