Personal Development:
- Character Education
- Cultural Capital
- Extra-curricular
- British Values
- Spiritual, Moral, Social, Cultural Education
Personal Development
Brighton Avenue Primary School is proud of the outstanding young children who leave our school and believe our commitment to developing young citizens of the future is embedded within our core values: STARS - Safe, Together, Aspirational, Resilience, Successful. We endeavour to instil our pupils with kindness, respect, confidence and aspirations to lead successful lives to enable them to be ready to make a world of difference to their own lives, have a positive impact on their community and the wider world.
At Brighton Avenue Primary, Personal Development means working with families and our community to teach our pupils to become successful learners, empowered individuals and responsible 21st century citizens. Personal Development is not an added extra: it is woven through all we do to continue to ensure children have a sense of purpose and belonging and so that they have the confidence to make their voices heard. Contributions to pupils’ overall personal development at Brighton Avenue are: character education, SMSC, British values, cultural capital, extra-curricular opportunities, staying safe and health and wellbeing.
Our Personal Development Overview, has the following areas which are interrelated and contribute to this:
Subjects taught across the school week also contribute to Character Education, pupils’ Cultural Capital and Personal Development.
Character Education
Brighton Avenue Primary School believes that character education is the wider personal development of a child beyond the academic education they receive in school, allowing opportunities for our pupils to become happy, confident, well-rounded individuals who make meaningful contributions to society. Character education aims to instil in pupils a number of key characteristics and values, such as respect, kindness, resilience, honesty, motivation, all of which will help them be successful, future citizens.
The foundations of character education play a vital part of a good all-round education and we have a statutory duty to promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and prepare children for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. Character Education can develop a set of personal traits that produce emotions, inform motivation and guide how we behave; this helps our pupils develop positive personal strengths.
Our character education framework is created through:
Diversity: at our school, diversity means acknowledging that there are differences between people that should be recognised, respected and celebrated. We promote respect of each other’s differences and identities. We celebrate and raise awareness of diversity in the school and in the wider community and believe that teaching children about diversity prepares them for life in modern Britain. We have a full time EAL specialist and are the first school in Gateshead to apply for the ‘School of Sanctuary’.
The Equality Act 2010: we have developed our policies through the Equality Act 2010. We want our children to learn that we all belong together regardless of different races, religions, sexualities, genders, abilities and ages. We encourage children to be proud of their differences and to understand the importance of not discriminating against, or being unfair to others, because of their differences. Schools have a legal obligation to promote equality and tackle discrimination based on the nine protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010. This means that a school must take active steps to ensure that all pupils are treated fairly and have equal access to opportunities and resources, regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. For example, the following steps help ensure that we can do this in our school: provide staff training and development, an inclusive curriculum, create supportive policies, provide supportive services and create a positive school culture: success for all…because every child is a star.
Cultural Capital
According to the school inspection handbook, Ofsted’s definition of Cultural Capital is:
“As part of making the judgement about the quality of education, inspectors will consider the extent to which schools are equipping pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life."
Our understanding of ‘knowledge and cultural capital’ is derived from the following wording in the National Curriculum:
“It is the essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said and helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.”
We want all of our children, no matter what their background or experience, to be exposed to the best of the world around them in order to help them reach their potential and make progress in life beyond school. There are many experiences, some small, such as a bedtime story and others which are bigger such as a trip to a farm or the beach which many of us could take for granted. Our aim is to redress the balance by aiming to provide opportunities and experiences for all: we want our pupils to be successful in society, their career and the world of work. ‘…the accumulation of cultural capital – the acquisition of knowledge – is the key to social mobility”.
Cultural Capital, in the Early Years, is all about providing pupils with experiences and opportunities to help them progress and achieve success; at Brighton Avenue, we want to give them everything they need for what comes next in their learning and development. We recognise that for pupils to aspire and be successful academically and in the wider areas of their lives, they need to be given rich and sustained opportunities to develop their cultural capital; the essential knowledge pupils need to be educated citizens through what we can introduce them too.
The school recognises, in our Cultural Capital Overview, that there are different areas which are interrelated and cumulatively contribute to the sum of a pupil’s cultural capital:
Some of the ways in which we think about Cultural Capital within in our curriculum are:
Extra-curricular
Extra-curricular refers to activities and learning experiences that take place alongside the academic curriculum: we aim to complement academic attainment with a broad and enriching extra-curricular. Brighton Avenue Primary School clubs are all-inclusive, as we value the individuality and wellbeing of our children and aim to provide our children with the opportunity to experience something that may be beyond their usual experience, for example: Muddy Monsters, music tuition, Eco-green, multi-sports, fencing, dance, football, archery and Lego.
For more information, please see these areas of our website: Our school ethos and values; Children: Class website pages; Children: STEAM and Careers website page; Children: Sustainability website page; Key Information: Curriculum website pages.
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:
democracy
the rule of law
individual liberty
mutual respect
tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
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 KS1 and KS2 school council play a strong role in our school community. 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 are conducted every year while ‘pupil voice’ discussions are every 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; also, pupil voice with visitors or 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 of 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 win 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 and carer cafes/workshops, parent 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 religions are celebrated, studied and respected across the curriculum (see RE Policy), across the academic year with specific days (e.g., Diwali, Easter, Ramadan), diversity days (e.g., World Day) and ‘Diversity Week’ because we believe that we have a powerful role in building cultures of welcome and compassion by celebrating British values of tolerance, respect and solidarity. In June, the Refugee Week’s theme of ‘Our Home’ was the world’s largest art and culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. At Brighton Avenue, we invited the families of our pupils into school across the week to celebrate what ‘Our Home’ means to them: home can be more than one place and finding it can be journey, as it is for some of us who have to leave our countries and rebuild lives.
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
Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC) sits at the heart of education and enables children and young people to make appropriate choices as they encounter complex and changing circumstances in our modern society, with the potential to:
• Raise aspirations
• Develop empathy
• Deepen spirituality
• Connect young people with their communities
• Create opportunities for pupils to learn and practise human virtues
• Instil values such as compassion, hope, faith and forgiveness
• Develop values that challenge individuals beyond the material world
Brighton Avenue takes its duty to promote the 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.
Young Citizens have worked with experts in the SMSC field to create an SMSC self-review tool and verification: Brighton Avenue Primary has completed a self-review application and school audit to ensure we can constantly improve our SMSC provision. The self-review application is currently a ‘Gold’ level and we are now waiting for an SMSC verification day in school to confirm a level. 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 (see website: Key Information, 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:
Reverend Rich Grant and the ‘Alive’ St. George’s Church staff: visitors in school and pupils to this church.
Pupils take part in the Harvest Festival celebration for the local community, supporting our own school foodbank and those in the local community, e.g. Bensham Foodbank.
Christmas, e.g., carol service in school and at St. Chad’s Church, places in the community (Armstrong House, shops in Gateshead), Collective Worship and RE lessons celebrating traditional customs and customs from across the world.
Diversity Days and Diversity Week (see above)
Festivals from other cultures are celebrated across school as part of the RE curriculum and religious celebrations (see website ‘Key Information, Curriculum’, RE page and RE policy).
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:
The Eco Warriors have regular meetings in school, lead assemblies, meet visitors and work with the local community, e.g., Sustrans, Green Heart shop (Gateshead), Wrekenton Recycling Centre, Agents of Change to share reasons which encourage pupils, families and community to use our school used battery recycling tube, clothes bank and ‘upcycling’ clothes. Also, in school, recycling paper in each classroom and using recyclable glue sticks.
Links community: Friends of Saltwell Park, Saltwell Field of Remembrance, Sustrans (active travel to school and healthier streets).
Mindful Garden in school and links with the community: Comfrey Project, Bensham Allotment, Mason Street Furniture (MSF.ltd), Wrekenton Recycling Centre, e.g., School Council assembly about ‘Food Miles’.
Harvest festival which gains donations for the local food bank.
‘Remembrance Day’: creating school field of own made poppies, painting ‘remembrance’ stones, assemblies.
Safety assemblies and workshops, e.g. Safety Works, road safety, fire brigade, sun and firework safety etc.
Anti-Bullying Week including lessons, assemblies, workshops and visitors, e.g., ‘Bikers Against Bullying’.
E-Safety focus each term for pupils: SMART (Safe, Meet, Accepting, Reliable, Tell), online safety, social media lessons and parents & carers assemblies/virtual workshops, information sheets on Weduc and website.
Education for a connected world: Computing and PSHE+C curriculums.
Fundraising, e.g. MacMillan, Children in Need, Comic Relief, ‘Red’ day and nominated charities by the School Council and Wellbeing team.
Class rules and behaviour policy.
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:
Transition sessions in every year group, opportunities for pupils to be with their new class; also, meetings for parents & carers, e.g. Nursery to Reception, Reception to Year 1, Year 6 to Year 7.
Stay and Play sessions: parent/carers spend morning with their child/ren – inside/outside environment.
Reading Cafes, e.g. for families from TLRs and visits from Gateshead Library staff.
Maths Cafes, Early Years Cafes, Subject Café i.e., PSHE+C (RSHE) for families and links with the community from TLRs and Subject Leaders.
You Belong Coffee mornings, e.g., EAL HLTA, School of Sanctuary or FSW or visitors, e.g., Sustrans.
Parents & carers Coffee mornings, eg raising money for MacMillan.
Mental Health Weeks and Days, e.g. wellbeing challenges in school (pupils and staff), families and community.
Wellbeing Wednesdays in school: theme every half-term; also, Year 3W during theme of ‘move’, winning a national breakdancing competition with Agents of Change (link Eco team).
Muddy Monster (sessions across the school all year) and Forest School outdoor learning and after-school club.
Events Nationally, e.g., linked to royalty, (Queen, King’s Coronation), General Election, Euro Football Cup, Olympics etc: activities and events in school can involve other Key Stages, classes, families, Governors.
Christmas Fair, Easter Fair.
Family Night.
Celebration assemblies for parents/carers/family members, eg Y6 and Reception transition.
Pupil of the Week assembly is held every week, including families.
Young Interpreters (EAL HLTA and new EAL families), Young Carers (FSW), Eco Warriors (Mrs Kevan), Buddies (Miss Helm), Office (Business Manager) & Classroom monitors (Teachers & TAs).
Children Champions: support in school to children, meeting with Gemma (FSW) and the Wellbeing Champions (5 staff), informing school and lunch time staff of their role, working with Gateshead School Health and Wellbeing (GSHWB) staff and other schools, e.g., Mini-Health Champions Day; also, meeting with The Drive Primary School staff and their ‘Wellbeing Buddies’.
School Council and link with Family Support Worker (FSW).
Every child in school went on trips/had a visitor in school every half term; Year 6 pupils enjoyed a residential visit to Robinwood. All trips are majority funded by pupil premium funding.
Mindful Garden, in courtyard, with pupils, visitors and FSW: links with Mason Street Furniture (MSF.Ltd), Bensham ‘Big’ Allotment, the Comfrey Project.
Visitors, e.g., a Kindness Workshop Day in school with the Wellbeing Educator from the Director of Kindness at the charity 52 Lives and the Director of Life 101.
Christmas parties, Valentine’s Disco.
Sports Days events held across school, families invited; also, sports events across the school and academic year: ‘Blazing the Trail’ award, Platinum award.
STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths, e.g., aspirational careers with a focus each term, i.e. summer creative career fair in school with a rapper and writer, dancer and facilitator and theatre maker and choreographer (Northern Roots and North East Cultural Freelancers). Also, links with Nissan, VEX IQ, Northumbria and Newcastle University: Girl Power, Smallpiece Trust Airforce (3 girls from Year 5 were the winners of the North East Region 2024 Road to RIAT (Royal International Air Tattoo) Sustainability of Aerospace competition, local art galleries and museums (see website, ‘Children, STEAM page).
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:
Subjects, for example, teaching music in our school enables children to perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, musical genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians.
All children have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument, e.g. xylophone, guitar, ukulele; Mr Parkin’s weekly visit and after-school club.
Rocksteady Music weekly tuition, Rocksteady bands and concerts in school for families.
Music shows by the school; also, Mr Parkin, Rocksteady and a staff band performance: pupils singing and playing an instrument in a performance, with families invited.
Artist focus: linked to Art, Craft, design lessons and September artist week (see children’s creative work in the school hall).
Y6 Leavers celebration in the summer term, for pupils and also for families.
KS1 production show and a Y3,Y4,Y5 production, both in the summer term for pupils and also for families.
Reception transition celebration in the summer term for pupils and also for families.
Nursery Nativity production in the autumn term for families.
Brighton’s Got Talent – in the autumn term for pupils and families.
Family Night: after school.
MacMillan coffee morning.
Parliamentary visitors, local elections and General Election in 2024.
All classes participate in visits/have a visitor every half term.
Diversity days and week, involving pupils, families and the communities.
Also, we are thrilled that Brighton Avenue Primary School has signed the organisational pledge to become a ‘School of Sanctuary.’ The principle behind coming a School of Sanctuary is to offer a positive vision of a culture of welcome and hospitality to all, (see website, Key Information, School of Sanctuary for more information).