What Should Be Promoted

The DFE have stated (guidance published in November 2014)that all maintained schools must meet the requirements set out in section 78 of the Educational Act 2002 and promote spiritual, moral , social and cultural(SMSC) development of their pupils. Through ensuring pupils SMSC development , schools can also demonstrate that they are actively promoting fundamental British values.

British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs should be actively promoted in schools.

Why

As a Church of England school we follow the teachings of Jesus (Matthew 22 v 34-40) to ‘ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, all your soul , all your strength,’ and to ‘ Love your neighbour as yourself’. Our mission statement is as follows:

At St. Andrew's C.E. Infants' we promote opportunities to LEARN skills for life on a daily basis. We LEARN TOGETHER IN FRIENDSHIP, respecting and valuing one another in all that we do. We come to St. Andrew's each day living by and in FAITH.

"I came that you may have life in abundance until it overflows"

John 10 Verse 10

Democracy at St. Andrew’s is something celebrated throughout the school, in worship sessions, in classes, at lunchtime through pupils having the opportunity to voice their opinions , which are listened to and acted on. Our curriculum evolves through our pupil’s contributions.

We have a school council where pupils are voted on by their peers. The school council’s voice represents the pupils and each meeting’s minutes is fed back to the staff at minuted staff meetings.

Every procedure and policy in St. Andrew’s is evaluated regularly and needs to be transparent fair and consistent. The children respond well to this.

Democracy is modelled by staff who discuss and agree as a working team.

St. Andrew’s CE Infants’ School is a place where a strong symbiotic relationship exists between staff and pupils. Children’s views are valued and shape next steps..We believe that education in all its fullness brings understanding and choice.

When applicable, the issues within the wider world are explored- our Year 2’s had a voting experience to record in term 2.

The Rule of Law

We have school rules to follow and a code of conduct for staff, with a ladder of success and annual tag line to be celebrated for e.g this year is 'take the next step' encouraging pupils and staff to perhaps try something new, to progress in learning by stepping out of a comfort zone and aiming high!

We value and recognize good attendance, punctuality and behaviour, skills for life.

We have a home school agreement/e-safety agreement which are reviewed annually.

We have a high expectation of all our pupils at St. Andrew’s CE Infants’ to accept responsibility for their own actions.

Through our fair and consistent behaviour policy and our PSHEe curriculum, we enable our pupils to make good choices, to distinguish between right and wrong, developing a moral code to become a good citizen, contributing positively to the lives of those in our local community

We have positive links with many member of school community who visit us, proving positive role models and as they are in roles of authority reinforce the need for rule, e.g fire safety officers, PCSO’s, local clergy.

Individual Liberty

At St. Andrew’s CE Infants’ we believe wholeheartedly that our pupil’s self- belief and self- respect is paramount. Our children need and deserve to know who they are and then, develop respect and value for the adults around them, developing  friendships and learning partners.  We work to develop positive relationships with all our school community, because this is how we thrive.

Pupil voice/staff voice is encouraged, we value freedom of speech but also promote understanding for those around us and listening ears to be acute at all times!

We promote a child-centred learning environment , with a number of responsibilities for our young children to develop further skills, to be trusted to carry out tasks independently and to represent our school positively at all times. There is a freedom of choice that is promoted throughout the curriculum and such choices are encouraged and valued.

‘We should not be afraid of growing slowly , we should just be afraid of standing still’. In growing we will make mistakes and our ethos at St. Andrew’s promotes ‘having a go’, perhaps taking a risk and if not the right choice, how then , the next time can we get it right? As a church school we believe in forgiveness, a clean slate and a chance to try again.

Mutual Respect

We actively encourage ‘good listening’ skills and being there for one another and learning how to emphasize is promoted through SMSC, PSHEe and RE, collective worship themes and daily life modelled by staff and visitors.

Tolerance of Those with Different Faiths and Beliefs

At St. Andrew’s CE Infants we seek to find out about the rich diversity that life and this world has to offer. Through our rich curriculum we involve our school community and the wider community in celebrating a range of cultures, both past and present. Knowledge and understanding promote tolerance and respect.

As a CE school, we celebrate that humanity was created by God and is loved by Him. We teach our pupils to ‘love one another’, even when it is not easy ..

Our RE curriculum is well resourced and plans for first hand experiences of a range of faiths and cultures. In FS topic ‘Celebrations’ learning weeks are planned around various festivals.

We have special days- a week of prayer (2015), a day of Peace(2016), a day of Joy (2017), a day of thankfulness (2018), Black History Month or a Mardi Gras to give our pupils first hand experiences to extend their understanding and live as mentioned a ‘life in all its fullness’. (John 10, Verse 10).