Park House Primary School

Vision, Ethos and Values

        Our vision is to provide a happy, caring and stimulating environment where children will achieve their fullest potential so that they can make their best contribution to society.

At Park House Primary:

• We work towards attaining a welcoming, calm and purposeful atmosphere, in which everyone feels valued, motivated and takes pleasure in their learning.
• The school environment is attractive, stimulating and informative.  This requires planning and organisation to ensure that good models are presented and the school maintains a clean tidy and organised and cared for appearance.
• The staff will aspire to present clear, consistent guidelines for behaviour in accordance with school rules.  Children will be encouraged to show consideration and respect for others and their property.
• Positive attitudes are fostered towards differences of gender, race, age and special needs.
• Children will be encouraged to develop self-discipline, sense of pride in themselves and their school and recognise that their school is part of a wider community.
• We provide quality education which sets high standards and recognises the individual child’s needs.  Children will feel confident within themselves so that they can take an active role in their learning.
• We have high expectations of the children’s achievement and encourage them to hold these same expectations of themselves in learning and also in their personal and social development.
• We provide a wide but structured curriculum that gives progression, continuity and also flexibility.
• We feel that all members of the school should strive to be fair, polite and sympathetic at all times.  We demonstrate the qualities of patience, honesty, tolerance and good humour in our dealings with others.
• Staff will provide positive role models in terms of how we value good manners and behaviour and teach good social behaviour and consideration with others.
• We acknowledge the support that parents give in regard to the ethos of the school and recognise the partnership with parents is paramount to ensure the continuing development of the child.
• We aim for a consistent, caring and organised environment where self-discipline and consideration for others is valued.

Statement of British Values

In 2014, the Department for Education emphasised the role that British values can play in education and reinforced the need to “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.”(1 The Prevent Strategy 2011 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-strategy-2011

).  How well a school promotes such values is now an aspect of Ofsted’s inspection process.

In additional to promoting human/British values we actively challenge pupils, staff, parents or any school stakeholders expressing opinions contrary to these values, including ‘extremist’ views.

At Park House Primary School, our aim is to give every child the opportunity to learn and progress in a caring environment.  We aim to provide a curriculum and experiences which develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural wellbeing and promote a sound understanding of human/British values in order to prepare for life in modern Britain.

The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values continue to be reiterated. At Park House these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy

Each year the children decide upon their class charter and the rights associated with these. All the

children contribute to the drawing up of the charter. We have a School Council which meets every

fortnight to discuss issues raised in class council meetings. Every child on the School Council is voted in by their class. A questionnaire encourages children to put forward their views about the school.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are

consistently reinforced at Park House Primary School. Pupils are taught from an early age the rules of the school.  These are our Good to be Green Rules. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules and laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service help reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty

At Park House Primary School, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make informed choices, through a safe environment and an empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our eSafety and Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)

lessons.

Mutual Respect

Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

Here at Park House we undertake assemblies which uphold traditional values of empathy, respect and tolerance. These are also taught within Jigsaw PSHE and RE lessons and on an informal nature throughout the school days. Park House has a small amount of diversity and we actively promote this through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures. Members of different faiths and religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.