School Motto:
Success for all .... because every child is a star!
School Values:
STARS - Safe, Together, Aspirational, Resilience, Successful
School Vision:
Success for all …because every child is a star!’
We truly believe Brighton Avenue Primary School is a unique school. As soon as you walk through our doors, we promise you will get the most amazing feeling of warmth and happiness. Whether you are a child or an adult, the buzz of learning and the embedded feeling of commitment from everyone here in our school will be evident for you to see and feel. But what makes us unique?
Our school motto is, ‘Success for all …because every child is a star!’ We truly believe every child is a ‘unique’ star and therefore our job is to make our stars’ shine. Prioritising our whole school’s health and well-being drives our whole school ethos and makes us the incredible school we are today.
Our whole school purpose is to ensure ‘every’ child is loved and valued, supported, challenged and encouraged to grow and develop into caring, democratic, responsible and accepting individuals, who will continue to thrive and make positive contributions to our future society.
We are a highly inclusive school. Therefore, we strategically plan our curriculum to ensure we embrace our unique diversity so that every child can grow, develop and achieve very well both socially and academically. We have exciting and forward thinking schemes of work in all areas and we are consistently seeking new ways of enabling our children to succeed in order to support them in becoming the very best they can be.
As a team, and in consultation with our children, we constantly reflect on how we can weave our children's interests into their daily learning. Our curriculum, which is based on a balance of skills and knowledge, is built around half termly educational visits and visitors into school. We also provide many opportunities for children to experience future careers through our STEAM provision.
Our highly skilled staff take immense pride in the work that they do and are all absolutely committed to providing the highest level of care and support for our wonderful children. What is even greater, is that our children recognise this!
Every child in our school is a star and we take pride in the support we offer. Our ultimate aim is for our children to achieve their potential and beyond. And they do! Our children are consulted at every opportunity and we provide lots of opportunities for children to share their thoughts and opinions during 'Pupil Voice' discussions.
Brighton Avenue Primary School is a wonderful place to begin a life-long journey of learning and education and everyone in our school truly appreciates this.
Our children have decided to articulate our vision through the Acronym STARS!
STARS
S – Safe: Have fun, enjoy school and be happy in our very calm, purposeful and highly inclusive school, ensuring safety both in and out of school is always a priority. (Safeguarding/ E-Safety.)
T – Together: Celebrate every day how diverse we are as a school and embrace every opportunity to learn from each other.
A – Aspirational: You can be anything you want to be if ‘you’ believe it enough. (Making our curriculum unique and providing lots of opportunities for STEAM)
R – Resilient: Always work to the best of your abilities, even when it’s a little tricky. Be confident to take a risk, learning is not about getting everything right! Work Ethic!
S – Successful: our children will achieve success! Have high expectations of yourself and each other in and out of school, socially and academically. (Staff to drive standards forwards and create the thirst for learning in our children)
British Values and SMSC
British values and Spiritual, Moral, Social, Cultural development (SMSC)
Why do we have British values?
One of the reasons that British values are so important is that they help to prepare children for life in modern Britain as they grow older and leave school. Another reason why British values are so important is that they form an important element of safeguarding children, as they are intended as a preventative measure against extremism and radicalisation.
British values were first introduced in schools and early years settings in 2014 when the Department for Education (DfE) published its British values guidance, stating the purpose as: '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, mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.' The guidance states that all independent and state-maintained schools have a duty to promote British values.
The Department for Education’s five-part definition of British values are:
Promoting British values at Brighton Avenue Primary School
At Brighton Avenue Primary School, we nurture our children on their journey through life so they can grow into safe, caring, democratic, responsible and tolerant adults, who make a positive difference to British society and to the world. We encourage our children to be creative, unique, resilient, open-minded and independent individuals, respectful of themselves and of others in our school, our local community and the wider world. We take our responsibility to prepare children for life in modern Britain seriously to ensure that the fundamental British values are introduced, discussed and are part of our school ethos and the work of our school. All curriculum areas provide a vehicle for furthering understanding of these concepts. In particular, our values-based Collective Worship and RE, SMSC, PSHE+C, which includes RSHE, lessons provide excellent opportunities to deepen, develop, understand and actively promote children's application to their own lives. At Brighton Avenue Primary School, our values permeate all areas of school life.
How are British values taught?
Teaching British values to children improves their spiritual, moral social, and cultural (SMSC) development. British values underpin what it is to be a British citizen in a modern and diverse Britain, and promote moral and cultural understanding that celebrates the diversity of the UK. Promoting these fundamental British values occurs as part of SMSC development in schools, as per advice from the DfE.
At Brighton Avenue, children will encounter these principles throughout everyday school life.
British values and the early years foundation stage (EYFS)
EYS staff support British values in the EYFS settings through discussions and by modelling British values during everyday activities and interactions. The five British values are interwoven within the EYFS areas of learning and development and the guiding principles that help to shape practice in early years settings. Children are taught how to be kind, respectful, and tolerant of others; differences are celebrated in early years as children are taught that it is our differences that make us unique. This supports children's understanding that others may have different cultures, faiths, and traditions.
Listed below are some examples of how we promote British values in our school community:
Democracy
Pupil voice is at the heart of our school. The pupil elected school council plays a strong role in our school. They are elected, by their class peers voting, after they have heard the candidates’ ideas and beliefs in an assembly; they are involved in making our school a better place to learn. We know that the formation of the school council and the active participation of our pupils will support children’s understanding of democracy in the future. Pupil questionnaires and pupil voice are also conducted each term: whether Subject Leaders conducting the pupil voice to find out, for example, what they know about that subject, have learnt and could be improved or with the SLT or Governors.
We have welcomed visitors into school to help pupils understand how democracy works in England. For example, Gateshead Councillors have led assemblies and workshops to discuss the history of parliament and an overview of the democratic voting system; also, the Mayor of Gateshead to explain the procedure to their role.
Early Years children are also aware that their opinions, and those of their peers, are valued and taken into account; also, they are encouraged to take ownership and lead their own learning, e.g., by allowing children to access their own continuous provision resources, being allowed to vote and to be supported to understand that the option with the most votes wins when deciding on a song to sing or in an area of learning.
Parents and carers are also given the opportunity to find out about anything or express any concerns or queries through for example, parent cafes/sessions, forums, parents' evenings; also, to constantly speak to staff at school, or through email, Weduc app, Tapestry.
The Rule of Law
Our pupils encounter rules and laws throughout their entire lives. We want our pupils to understand that whether these laws govern the class, the school, the neighbourhood, community or the country, they are set for good reasons and must be adhered to. From the Early Years settings, children need to understand that rules are put in place to keep them safe, healthy, and happy. The rule of law in British values can be supported by implementing simple rules, such as allowing a number of children at an activity or having set routines such as tidy-up times. These rules are also good ways of implementing age-appropriate rules and boundaries in the EYFS.
This understanding of the importance of rules will be consistently reinforced through Collective Worship, assemblies and our curriculum. We allow many opportunities to debate and discuss the reasons for laws so that children 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 brigade etc and e.g. visits to the Safety Works in Newcastle. We believe that clear explanations and real life stories emphasise the importance of the rule of law for our pupils.
Individual Liberty
We all work together to create a positive culture in our school, so that children are in a safe environment where choices and freedoms are encouraged. Individual liberty includes helping Early Years children to make their own decisions and encouraging them to understand that the choices they make can have an impact on their peers. Allowing children to feel safe in order to share their emotions and promoting ways of improving children's self-confidence are important elements of the individual liberty value in the Early Years.
Making the right choices and being responsible for those are important principles at Brighton Avenue, which are reinforced in every year group: EYFS to UKS2. We encourage children to choose tasks that will challenge them, giving them more freedom to determine their own learning. We offer a range of extra-curricular activities and clubs which pupils have the freedom to choose from, based on their interests. We believe that valuing choice and freedom in daily school life will foster a value for individual liberty as the children embark upon their transition to a new key stage, secondary school and adult lives.
Mutual respect
Mutual respect is at the heart of our school life. Children learn to treat each other and staff with great respect: this is often commented upon by our Governors and visitors into school. It is clearly evident when walking around school, in the classrooms, through pupil voice as children will show mutual respect as, for example, they discuss and explain different religions and cultures, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) which inspires choices of future careers and the school eco-team, i.e. sustainability and the importance of what we can recycle in school and the community to make a difference.
Supporting the respect and tolerance British values element within EYFS settings includes helping children to respect one another's varying views and opinions, e.g., learning about and taking part in celebrating many different festivals and events from the religious calendar; displaying multicultural photos and pictures featuring a diverse range of people from various cultures and backgrounds as a simple way of helping to broaden children's understanding of the wonderful diversity within the world in which we live.
Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
Pupil are taught how to respect those from different backgrounds, for example, giving pupils regular opportunities to learn about different cultures and beliefs will reinforce messages of respect and tolerance in British values. This will also allow them to understand that others may have religions and beliefs that differ from their own and to respect these differing viewpoints.
At Brighton Avenue, we offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which all major religions are celebrated, studied and respected across the curriculum and ‘Diversity Days’. We strongly believe that tolerance is gained through knowledge and understanding. Through our curriculum and the routines of our daily school life, we strive to demonstrate tolerance and help children to become knowledgeable and understanding citizens who can build a better Britain for the future.
SMSC
Brighton Avenue takes its duty to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of pupils seriously, including the duty to promote British values. Our school has a distinctive identity and ethos, popular with parents and families, where the development of social, spiritual and emotional intelligence is as important as academic achievement.
The school aims to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of its vision: ‘Our whole school purpose is to ensure ‘every’ child is loved and valued, supported, challenged and encouraged to grow and develop into caring, democratic, responsible and accepting individuals, who will continue to thrive and make positive contributions to our future society’. Every child is a STAR!
Through Collective worship, our underlying aim is to enhance pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development (SMSC). The planned programme for Collective Worship demonstrates clear educational objectives and links with the daily learning experiences of pupils and with the daily life of the school, the community and the world at large. This further supports and informs the schools commitment to SMSC learning and understanding. Collective Worship is structured throughout the year to reflect important events and festivals from other cultures and assemblies by visitors. We feel that Collective Worship in our school gives our pupils the opportunity to be quiet, reflect, share, celebrate and belong. We also feel this weekly time forms an important part of daily school life at Brighton Avenue Primary School.
Much of the evidence of our British values work comes through SMSC, PSHE+C and RE curriculum, Personal Development and Cultural Capital that we offer our pupils (also see website Curriculum, PSHE+C page and Children, Class Pages, STEAM, Sustainability, Young Interpreters pages)
Spiritual
The spiritual development of pupils is shown by their:
• Ability to be reflective about their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, that inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values.
• Sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them.
• Use of imagination and creativity in their learning.
• Willingness to reflect on their experiences.
The children’s spiritual knowledge is enhanced by:
Moral
The moral development of pupils is shown by their:
• Ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and to readily apply this understanding in their own lives, recognise legal boundaries and, in so doing, respect the civil and criminal law of England.
• Understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions.
*Interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues.
• Developing an open and safe learning environment in which pupils can express their views and practise moral decision making.
• Rewarding expressions of moral insights and good behaviour.
• Recognising and respecting the codes and morals of the different cultures represented in the school and wider community.
• Encouraging pupils to take responsibility for their actions, for example, respect for property, care of the environment, and developing codes of behaviour.
The children’s moral knowledge is developed by:
Social
The social development of pupils is shown by their:
Use of a range of social skills in different contexts, for example working and socialising with other pupils, including those from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Willingness to participate in a variety of community and social settings by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively.
• Acceptance and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; they develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.
The children’s social knowledge is developed by:
Cultural
The cultural development of pupils is shown by their:
• Understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and those of others.
• Understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures within school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain.
• Knowledge of Britain’s democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values, and in continuing to develop Britain.
• Willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, musical, sporting and cultural opportunities.
• Interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity, as shown by their tolerance and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities.
The children’s cultural knowledge is developed by: