The Department for Education states that:
“schools should 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.”
Our Denmead Curriculum Aims | Values to ensure a learning adventure | Our Vision for all of our children |
|---|---|---|
Happy together Secure relationships and exemplary pastoral care | Resilience Independence | We are empowering our children to be confident individuals who are able to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives. |
Growing together Irresistible learning environments where adults and children thrive on challenge | Courage Creativity | We want our children to grow into responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to local, national and global communities. |
Aiming high Achieving excellence for all | Collaboration Respect | We enable our children to develop skills, knowledge, understanding and enjoyment that sustain a lifetime of successful learning. |
At Denmead Infant School these values are embedded and reinforced through our everyday ethos and practice:
Democracy is promoted across our school. Children are always listened to by all adults and they are taught to listen carefully and with consideration to each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. Children also have the opportunity to share their opinions and ideas through the School Council who regularly discuss these in their meetings and then feedback to their classes. The School Council members are elected by the children, reflecting our British electoral system and demonstrating democracy in action.
The importance of laws, whether they are our class or school rules, are consistently reinforced and embedded positively every day. These are taught through assemblies and our PSHE curriculum and they ensure that every child is able to learn in a safe environment. Through our everyday practice and language, our children are taught the value and reasons behind rules and that they are there to keep everybody safe. Through our behaviour mascot, Kindy, children learn the importance of the choices we make to have kind hands, kind feet and kind mouths.
Children are actively encouraged to make positive choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. Our children are given the freedom to make choices and are taught how to exercise these safely, examples of these can clearly be seen through our e-safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it is through choice of challenge, how they record their learning or participation in our extra- curricular activities, our children are given the freedom to make choices.
Respect is embedded through our Denmead Curriculum for Learning, our relationships curriculum, our RE curriculum and our assemblies. The children are taught the importance of respect for all. This is modelled by all staff in their relationships with each other and every child. This is embedded within the school’s inclusive culture and ethos. Children are given the skills and understanding to become respectful members of the wider community. We teach our children that whilst we do not all share the same beliefs or ideas, we should value difference and not judge each other.