Core Values/British Values

Our CARE Ethos and Values at Richmond Hill Primary Academy

At Richmond Hill Primary Academy, children come first and our priority is to deliver high quality teaching and learning whilst at the same time providing rich and truly enjoyable learning experiences for our community of children. Everything we do as a school is to ensure that the children achieve their very best. We are deeply aware that children only get one chance at their primary education and it is our job to ensure that they all reach for the highest levels of personal achievement and development.
We want every child to be successful; to reach for success from the very first day they join us and throughout their school lives so that when they leave us, they have a love of learning for the rest of their lives. Our CARE ethos is designed to ensure the whole school community uses the language of learning and that we promote a positive learning environment at every opportunity. Children are rewarded for demonstrating CARE learning behaviour and parents are informed of how well their children are employing these positive characteristics of learning through weekly tweets, then more formally as part of both their mid-year behaviour and attitude reports, and end of year annual reports.

At Richmond Hill Primary Academy we will strive to:

• Promote a growth mind-set at every opportunity with all members of the Academy’s community

• Provide a secure and stimulation environment that is conducive to all children having the opportunity to reach their full potential

• Have regard and respect for the experiences, knowledge and cultural diversity that every child brings to school. To use this as a foundation for improving standards
• Value the achievements of all children, both in and out of school and provide opportunities to develop self-confidence and a positive self image
• Provide a supportive culture in which all staff are encouraged to extend, develop and share their expertise
• Ensure that issues of equal opportunities are considered in all our work
• Provide a curriculum based on the National Curriculum and Foundation Stage Curriculum that is broad, balanced, relevant, progressive and appropriately differentiated
• Offer all children equal access to the curriculum and school life in the community where individual differences are appreciated, celebrated, understood and accepted
• Encourage children to become good citizens, by developing caring attitudes and respect towards themselves, other children, adults, their school and their community
• Recognise that children are constantly developing and ensure that the curriculum offered to them is appropriate to that development
• Encourage each individual to take responsibility for his/her behaviour and to act as a good role model to others

British Values

The Department for Education state that there is a need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools 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.”

The government set out its definition of British Values in the current Prevent Strategy, and these values have been reiterated by the Prime Minister this year. At Richmond Hill Primary Academy these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy:
Children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. We have a school council which meets regularly to discuss issues raised in class. The school council is able to genuinely effect change within the school. The council members for each year group are voted in by their class.

Children have an annual questionnaire with which they are able 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 throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind 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:
Within 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 choices safely, through a provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PHSCE lessons. Whether it be through choice of challenge, of how they record, of participation in our numerous extracurricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.

Mutual Respect:
Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy has revolved around values such as ‘Respect’, and pupils have been part of discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown. These assemblies, PHSCE lesasons and the values promote respect for others and this is reiterated through the work in the playground, classroom, learning skills and on the sports field, as well as our behaviour policy.

The pupils know and understand that it is expected and imperitive that respect is shown to everyone, whatever differences we may have.

Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs:
Our value of Respect ensures tolerance of those who have different faiths and beliefs. This is achieved through enhancing pupils’ understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PHSCE.

As a new initiative this year we will be promoting a ‘World Study Day’, where classes will focus upon a different country, children will research and present facts about these countries. Beliefs, traditions and customs will be studied in depth, with visitors for varying faiths invited into school to enrich and extend understanding. Through this our pupils will gain an enhanced understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society. Visits that enrich and support tolerance of those of different faiths may include; visiting the local Sheikh Temple, where customs will be explained and pupils will have the opportunity to partake in them.