I do have reasons for hope: our clever brains, the resilience of nature, the indomitable human spirit, and above all, the commitment of young people when they’re empowered to take action. 

Jane Goodall 

Intent - What are we aiming for?

We aim to ensure that, over their time at Asfordby Hill, learners receive a Personal Development programme that gives them the knowledge that they need to make decisions, to be resilient and to develop their character and personality. We provide these rich experiences in a coherently planned way – through our curriculum, enrichment and extra-curricular activities.   

Children at Asfordby Hill will know and understand their role in modern-day society; they have a sound sense of self and contribute positively to their community. They are tolerant and understand that everyone’s voice should be heard and everyone’s views should be acknowledged and respected. They leave primary school armed with our Rainbow values and skills: Gratitude, Self-control, Perseverance, Curiosity, Optimism, Enthusiasm and Understanding others.  They are aware of their responsibility as a citizen of the modern world and have secure and developed moral foundations on which to further build. Pupils regularly demonstrate their contribution now and in the future towards society, community and others.   

Pupil’s leadership skills and voice are developed across all aspects of school life, enabling them to understand that they can make a change and have a positive impact on others. As a result, pupils have high aspirations of themselves and others and the confidence to speak out and challenge in a positive, respectful manner.  

Children leave Asfordby Hill Primary School with the confidence to try new things and make mistakes, seeing the opportunity that lies within hard work and set-backs. Our bespoke curriculum has been designed to get the best out of each and every learner, where every child is encouraged to be resilient, hard thinking and driven. They have been taught how to interact respectfully, how to celebrate others’ successes and achievements, and how to politely disagree or build on people’s ideas. We model and encourage children to stretch their own thinking by asking questions – of both themselves and their peers. 

Our curriculum offer extends far beyond the academic to allow all pupils to develop in many diverse aspects of life. This is encapsulated in our Personal Development Programme.   

Implementation - What does this look like?

 

   

       

Extra-curricular events: Sky dance, gardening club, cross-country running to name a few.

 

                                

School events from the children's voice - Collecting coppers for the Rainbow Africa Charity to enhance the education of children in Zambia. 

                             

 

    

Visitors across our local community supported our children's awareness of aspirations.

         

 

British Values at AHPS

The DfE has recently reinforced the 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.”

At Asfordby Hill Primary School, these fundamental British values are promoted and embedded into all parts of school life.

Our Rainbow Skills, school rules and our British Values reflects these values, ensuring that all members of our school understand the importance of these values and how they are essential to enable us to operate as a community.

What are the 5 British Values in Education?

1. Respect for the Rule of Law

Respect for the rule of law means that everyone in society is treated equally and fairly, and that everyone follows the same rules and laws. This value promotes a sense of order and stability in society, and helps to prevent crime and other harmful behaviors. The UK justice system is a large part of this, including laws, police officers and courts.

2. Individual Liberty

Individual liberty allows people to pursue their own goals and interests, providing they do not harm others. This British value is based on the idea that people should be free to make their own decisions and choices within the bounds of the law, of course.

3. Democracy

Democracy is the foundation of the UK's political system. This value is based on the idea that everyone should have an equal say in how their country is run, and that the government should be accountable to the people. All things voting, elections and referendums come in to play here.

4. Mutual Respect and Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs

There is some confusion around the fourth British Value, which is often split into two: (1) Mutual respect and (2) tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. Whether you view these as one whole, or as two individual values, they both promote understanding and acceptance of people from different backgrounds and with different beliefs, and help to create a more inclusive and diverse society.

Why should schools teach British Values?

Schools in the UK have a responsibility to promote British Values, as outlined in the Department for Education's British Values guidance (last updated in 2014). This means that teaching and learning about British values should be an integral part of the school experience, and should be reflected in all aspects of school life.

 

Protected Characteristics at AHPS

 

We work to ensure that our children understand that:

• There are no outsiders at Asfordby Hill Primary School
• Everyone is different
• We embrace our differences
• We are all equal in our differences

The Equality Act became law in 2010. It covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Everyone in Britain is protected. This is because the Equality Act protects people against discrimination because of the protected characteristics that we all have.

The 9 Protected Characteristics are actively promoted in school through:

• Our school ethos, SDP, and SEF
• Our school rule of RESPECT
• Our school behaviour policy
• Conscious role modelling by all adults in the school community
• Active engagement and communication with parents and carers
• Collective Worship and class assemblies
• Promotion of British Values across the school community
• Discussion within curriculum subjects, taking a cross-curricular approach
• Promoting articulation by building appropriate language and a coherent vocabulary across all subject areas
• Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) sessions
• Religious Education (RE) lessons, RSE lessons and Protected Characteristic talks
• Sporting competitions, festivals and opportunities
• Art and Cultural activities
• Pupil Voice e.g. School Councillors, Eco Committee members and Sports Leaders
• Educational visits
• Real-life learning outside the classroom
• Guest speakers and visitors from the wider community
• Developing stronger links with the local, national and international communities
• Extra-curricular activities, after-school clubs, charity work and work within the local community

We firmly believe that embedding Protected Characteristics into the whole school ethos at Asfordby Hill Primary School promotes:

• Self-esteem, self-knowledge and self-confidence of everyone in our school community
• Respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process will be raised
• Acceptance of responsibility for their own behaviour
• Respect for their own and other cultures
• Understanding of how people can contribute positively to school and home life and to the lives of those living and working in the local community and beyond
• An understanding of Equality, Human Rights and Protected Characteristics
• An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
• An appreciation that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their wellbeing and safety of all
• An understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
• An acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour
• An understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination

 

No Outsiders                                                                                         

We are a No Outsiders School.

Our school teaches that there are no outsiders because everyone is welcome.

We create classroom environments where no child feels left out; every child needs to be taught that they belong.

As children grow up, they can sometimes learn that difference is a barrier to friendship. Our aim is to remove that barrier; we want children to see that difference is a positive, not a negative. After all, we are all different: none of us is exactly the same; we are all unique. As our pupils move through school, we want them to explore their differences so that they feel comfortable in their own skin. Our pupils should know who they are and feel proud to be who they are, and also know that they are accepted without judgement. No child should feel that they have to change who they are in order to fit in.