Our Values

Hope

Jeremiah 29:11 ''For I know the plans I have for you,'' declares the Lord, ''plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'' 

 Our Senior Leadership Team chose Hope because:-

• We want to lead from a position of hope to support us to make bold and courageous decisions. We want hope to drive our curriculum, our language choices and our daily interactions.
• It is important to have hope in order to 'see there is light despite the darkness...' Desmond Tutu

Courage

Timothy 1:7 ''For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, and of love, and of sound mind.'' 

 Our children chose Courage because:-

• If you don’t step out of your comfort zone then you will live a life where you are scared of everything.
• Courage is not the absence of fear; it is acting in spite of fear knowing that with God's protection and guidance, we have nothing to fear and can conquer anything. 

Respect

Micah 6:88 ''And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.''

Our staff chose Respect because:-

• This should be the impact of our curriculum and education as it should be calling us to see Gods love in action.
• Our curriculum enables children to be courageous advocates and seek what is respectful and fair locally, nationally and globally - choosing love of one another.

Compassion

Psalm 116:5 "The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion."

Our children chose Forgiveness because:-

• It is the most important value in a human.

• If you forgive it gives you freedom to live in peace.

Our Values

At the heart of our school ethos are our four core values: compassion, hope, courage and respect. We integrate teaching the values throughout all lessons and our wide range of sporting, cultural and arts based enrichment activities.

Being a church school means that every day there is a meaningful act of Christian worship either in the school hall or in the classrooms where children come together as a whole school, a key stage or a class to observe the traditions of The Church of England.

As a church school we have Christian beliefs and values at our heart. As a church school we recognise that as well as academic and emotional intelligence human beings also have spiritual intelligence. At St Barnabas the spiritual aspects of life are recognised, and nurtured alongside the academic and emotional needs of all.

There are 4,644 Church of England schools and 200 church schools in Wales. Church schools are supported by their local Diocesan Board of Education. The Church of England has always been concerned with education in many forms and the history of Church schools began when the National Society for the Promotion of Education was founded in 1811.

Church schools in numbers

• Approximately 1 million children attend Church of England schools.
• About 15 million people alive today went to a Church of England school.
• A quarter of primary schools and over 200 secondary schools are Church of England.
• With 250 sponsored and over 650 converter academies, the Church is the biggest sponsor of academies in England.
• Over 500 independent schools declare themselves to be Church of England in ethos.
• Across the country, Church of England clergy dedicate a million hours every year to working with children and young people in schools, often providing holiday and after-school activities.
• There are 22,500 Foundation Governors in Church schools recruited, trained and supported by dioceses.
• Each diocese runs a Diocesan Board of Education supporting Church schools, which represents an annual investment of over £15 million.

Voluntary Controlled (VC) Schools

There are around 2,000 VC schools, of which all but 20 are primary schools. VC schools are 'managed' by the local authority (LA) whilst maintaining their distinctive characteristics.

The key characteristics of a VC school are:

• The LA employs the staff, but they are appointed by the governors
• The LA is responsible for admissions arrangements.
• The LA can advise the governing body; the diocesan director of education (DDE) may be given the same opportunity to advise.
• RE taught is the LA agreed syllabus and worship reflects the Anglican tradition
• No one group of governors is in a majority. Church or Foundation governors are in a minority.

Religious Education 

Religious Education is taught in accordance with The Wiltshire Agreed Syllabus for RE. As a Church of England School, in each year there is a focus on Christianity plus the opportunity for pupils to learn and evaluate their own views on other world religions. RE enables pupils to appreciate their own and others' beliefs and cultures, helping them to develop a clear understanding of the significance of religion in their own area as well as in the world today.

RE intends to promote religious understanding and respect, and to challenge prejudice, discrimination and stereotyping.

It is concerned with the promotion of each pupil's-self-worth, enabling them to reflect on their uniqueness as human beings, to share their feelings and emotions with others and to appreciate the importance of forming and maintaining positive relationships. 

We strongly believe that the purpose of RE is about religious literacy. This means we aim for children to be able to hold a balanced and well-informed conversation about religion and belief. In order to fulfil this purpose we provide a balance of theology, philosophy and human/social sciences within our RE lessons.  

St Barnabas CEVC Primary School provides a welcoming, positive community in which the children learn respect for others, whilst being challenged to realise their full individual potential.

Our Vision

Our school family is a strong, vibrant Christian community, with a mission to inspire a love of God, each other and learning. This helps us all grow in faith, wisdom and compassion. Once ‘rooted in love’ we flourish: living fruitfully, branching out and sharing God’s love in St Barnabas and beyond.

Within God’s love, we will support and encourage one another to grow and flourish.

Nurture, Grow, Flourish

Jesus said: ‘Love each other as I have loved you’. John 15:12

St Barnabas CEVC Primary School

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC), Cultural Capital and British Values

Introduction

The spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of the child has always been at the heart of everything we do at St Barnabas CEVC Primary School. We value the diversity of backgrounds of all pupils, families and wider school community. Our creative curriculum is designed to broaden our children’s understanding of the world we live in. We believe this has always been a strength of our school.  

Our school reflects British values in all that we do. Inspired by and rooted in Christian values and teaching, we nurture each other to become aspirational, courageous, compassionate and joyful people who make a positive difference to British society and to the world. We encourage our children to be creative, unique, open-minded and independent individuals, respectful of themselves and of others in our school, our local community and the wider world.

We celebrate traditions and customs in the course of the year; for example, Harvest Festival during the Autumn term and trips to the pantomime at Christmas. We also value and celebrate national focusses, recent examples being; Macmillan Coffee Morning, Roald Dahl Day, Chinese New Year and Safer Internet Day, with many more opportunities planned throughout the year to collaborate with the wider community and world e.g. Children In Need.

The Department for Education states 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 Department for Education defines British Values as follows:

• Respect for democracy and support or participation in the democratic process
• Respect for the basis on which the law is made and applies in England
• Support for equality of opportunity for all
• Support and respect for the liberties of all within the law
• Respect for and tolerance of different faiths and religious and other beliefs
• Educating for wisdom, knowledge and skills: enabling discipline, confidence and delight in seeking wisdom and knowledge, and developing talents in all areas of life.
• Educating for hope and aspiration: enabling healing, repair and renewal, coping wisely when things go wrong, opening horizons and guiding people into ways of fulfilling them.
• Educating for community and living well together: a core focus on relationships, participation in communities and the qualities of character that enable people to flourish together.
• Educating for dignity and respect: the basic principle of respect for the value and preciousness of each person, treating each person as a unique individual of inherent worth.

Through our curriculum, children learn about being part of Britain from different perspectives. Two specific examples of when we teach about being part of Britain are:

Geographically: Our rivers, coasts and seaside holiday topics ensure that children have a better understanding of what Britain is, learning more about:

•its coasts, rivers and mountains

•where Britain is in relation to the rest of Europe and other countries in the world

Historically: Key moments in British history are studied in the topics such as The Battle of Britain and significant historical figures such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel.·

At St Barnabas Primary School, we actively promote British values in the following ways:

DEMOCRACY

· All children are encouraged to debate topics of interest, express their views and make a meaningful contribution to the running of the school on matters that directly involve pupils. Children also have the opportunity to have their voices heard through pupil voice.

· The principle of democracy is explored in the curriculum as well as during collective worship, house days and special days.

· Members of the School Council have a key role in ensuring the pupil voice is heard.

· We use a positive behaviour strategy which emphasises the importance of constantly praising children for the expected good behaviour.

Occasionally sanctions are needed, clearly explained why they are being put in place when required. Include all staff modelling good manners and positive relationships.

· The school is part of the Emmanuel Federation and Salisbury Diocese which meets throughout the school year. We work closely with transition partners – nurseries, pre-schools, primary and secondary schools.

RULE OF LAW

· Inspired by and rooted in Christian values and teaching, we nurture each other to become aspirational, courageous, compassionate and joyful people.

· School rules and expectations are clear, fair and regularly promoted both in class and during whole school collective worship.

· Pupils are always helped to distinguish right from wrong, in the classroom, during worship and on the playground.

· Pupils are encouraged to respect the law and St Barnabas CEVC Primary School enjoys visits from authorities such as the Police, Fire Service, Ambulance, etc. to help reinforce this message.

· The Behaviour and Anti-Bullying policies set out a zero tolerance baseline for any form of aggression, abuse or violence, which extends to pupils, staff and parents, and carers.

INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY

· Within school, pupils are actively encouraged, and given the freedom to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. eg. by signing up for extra-curricular clubs.

· Pupils are supported to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence.

· Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their behaviour and our pastoral support reinforces the importance of making the right choices.

· Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-safety teaching and PSHE lessons.

· Vulnerable pupils are protected and stereotypes challenged. A strong anti-bullying culture is embedded in the school and any form of bullying is challenged and addressed. The school governing body has taken an active role in this within our safeguarding culture. The school also operates a robust system of logging incidents.

· Pupils have key roles and responsibilities in school e.g. School Council, Worship Warriors, Digital Leaders, Climate action groups, playground buddies etc

MUTUAL RESPECT AND TOLERANCE OF THOSE WITH DIFFERENT FAITHS AND BELIEFS

· The pupils know and understand that it is expected that respect is shown to everyone, adults and children – treat others as you would expect to be treated.

· Pupils are helped to acquire an understanding of, and respect for, their own and other cultures and ways of life.

· Staff and pupils are encouraged to challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour.

· Links and visits are promoted with local faith communities and places of worship. E.g. Members of different faiths or religions are invited to school to share their knowledge and enhance learning within assemblies and in class.

· Through the PSHE and RE curriculum, pupils are encouraged to discuss and respect differences between people, such as differences of faith, ethnicity, disability, gender or sexuality and differences of family situations.

· Assemblies, worships and discussions involving prejudices and prejudiced-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE.

· We offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which all major religions are studied and respected and global dimension work embedded in many of our Creative Curriculum topics. These curriculum topics offer children the chance to reflect on our core values and British values. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/380595/SMSC_Guidance_Maintained_Schools.pdf

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Provision

A variety of visits, activities and visitors are arranged over the year to help ensure breadth and depth in the school’s SMSC provision.

Spiritual

 • Opportunities to reflect both indoors and outdoors.

• Creation of an outdoor reflection area by parents, staff and pupils.

• Opportunities to ask and discuss big questions within and outside lessons.

• Supporting local and national charities decided by pupils and staff.

• Links with and use of the local church.

• Visits to places of worship including Leavers’ Service.

• Creation Emmanuel partnership through local schools where staff and governors share good practice.

• Class prayers written by pupils.

• Recognition of importance of pupil participation, e.g. collective worship leaders, class worships and class prayers.

Moral

• Behaviour Policy and pupil version of Behaviour Policy.

• Our School Charter.

• Class rules created by the children and class targets.

• House system. House captains with roles and responsibilities.

• Year groups across the school develop a family atmosphere.

• Children encouraged to make good choices in all areas of school life, learning and behaviour.

• Develop awareness of local, national and international events and help pupils to realise that choices and decisions impact on others.

• Pupils are able to take these behaviour values outside the classroom and apply them independently in a variety of settings such as the playground, sports events or offsite activities.

• Whole school behaviour system.

• Use of our school values in class worships and PSHE curriculum give the pupils a chance to explore and respond to a range of moral issues and develop their understanding

Cultural

The best cultural education can change a young person’s sense of the wider world around them, opening up possibilities for their future that may have previously seemed outside of their grasp. What’s more, the study of specific cultural education subjects, such as art and design, dance, drama, and music has direct educational benefits for children, enabling young people to gain valuable knowledge and skills that stay with them for the rest of their lives.

· The school places great value on creativity and a range of artists and visitors from other cultures are used to share their skills and experiences.

· The school provides a wide variety of cross curricular opportunities which allow pupils to explore other cultures.

· Fundraising initiatives are local, national and international.

· The learning environment reflects our curriculum global themes which reinforces our school’s cultural values, celebrating and broadening awareness through displays, photographs and artefacts.

· Our Activity Passport promotes our values and cultural heritage within the contemporary world. Pupils will acquire these life experiences throughout their education with us at St Barnabas Primary School.

Social

• House colour system – sense of belonging for intra school competition as all children are vertically grouped

• Activities and opportunities to develop social skills and self-confidence: productions, residential visits, lunch club

• Collaborative learning, talk partnerships, house groups, sports leaders,  digital leaders and climate action group.

• Children supporting each other throughout the school, e.g. Sports Leaders.

• Developing empathy and understanding: philosophy for Children activities, circle time, School Council.

• High levels of pupil participation in clubs and cluster events.

• Forest school provides unique opportunities to further develop and apply the above.

• Climate emergency - Our children are highly engaged with the climate emergency and developing their knowledge of the natural world is another step towards their understanding of the environment and the importance of a sustainable future.

• What does it mean to love one another? How can we help bring about the sort of world God intended, where all are free, equally valued and able to live life to the full? How can we celebrate our differences? How can we stand up for people who are hurt and mistreated? How can we show with our words and our actions that racial injustice is wrong? How can we ‘be the change’?

References
Promoting Fundamental British Values as part of SMSC in schools (November 2014)