Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School

Democracy

Pupils contribute to and decide on class rules and the rights and responsibilities associated with these.

Assemblies address the role of members of parliament and how adults have the choice to elect representatives. We have also had visits from the Mayor to explain their elected role.

A school council is elected for each class in KS1 as role models and a pupil voice for their class. They are involved in meetings with the head teacher and in decision making regarding general day to day issues which may affect them and their peers.

At intervals pupil voice is collected in the form of questionnaires, and results are used to guide policy and practise e.g. selecting new books of interest for class libraries, identifying sports clubs they would like to have, equipment they would like outside etc.

On Occasions, we create opportunities where a class vote is required to make decisions such as their class name, choices within their learning, or the nature of the rewards they receive in recognition of achievements.

The Rule of Law

Our children are exposed to rule of law from the onset of their time with us. We support them in understanding that the laws govern the class, school, community or country, are set for the good of all and need to be adhered to.

Our children work collaboratively to help to set class and school rules. We focus on the need for these to be fair and reasonable, and to understand that consequences can occur if the rules are broken.

School as a whole follow ‘Golden Rules’ which have an assembly focus and are inter-link with the attributes of our ‘Secrets of Success’. These golden rules are; we are gentle, we are kind and helpful, we listen, we are honest, we work hard, we look after property.

Throughout the school year we welcome visitors from members of the wider community to share their experiences of rules and law, such as the police, fire brigade, church and mosque representatives.

Individual Liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices and decisions within their learning. The importance of this is evident in the EYFS characteristic of effective learning, and also in our secrets of success in KS1.

We educate our children to enhance their awareness and understanding of the wider world, but then enable them to make their own choices within the boundaries of a safe and supportive school environment. Such example are our e’safety rules which they apply in real context using our virtual learning platform, making decisions about how to negotiate play and PE apparatus, and in providing opportunities where they can challenge themselves within their own learning.

Pupils have the chance to take lead roles within school and class, such as monitors, play leaders, and lunchtime helpers and are expected to make the right choices of behaviour and attitudes to learning within these roles.

Within lessons, children are encouraged to take ownership of their own learning and make their own choices as to how to approach challenges. In the EYFS curriculum this is prevalent throughout the continuous provision where children have the opportunity to choose where to work, how to approach a range of task and how long they will remain focussed and engaged on any one activity. In Key Stage 1 this is enhanced by children considering how to approach learning, e.g. problem solving in maths, research tasks in science or literacy, and how to present their findings. Children in year 1 have the option of an enhanced provision whereby they need to organise their own learning, whereas year 2 have particular ownership of their own learning during a weekly independent learning day.

Outside of the curriculum, we have a range of options which children have the freedom to select from based on their own interests, these range from music club, choir, lunchtime games, and a range of sports clubs.

Mutual Respect

Mutual respect is at the core of our school life with everyone, adult or child, being expected to treat each other with upmost regard.  This is reflected in our school aim of ‘working together to value and nurture children’ whereby we strive to form positive relationship between everyone in our community for the good of our children.

Respect forms part of our golden rules, and stories and moral issues are addressed through assemblies and class based work where children are asked to reflect on how to behave in certain situations and how to show positive attitudes towards each other.

Within class based learning, children are taught how to work together with partners, groups and their class as a whole. We have a clear philosophy which encourages participation and appreciation for any contributions made. Our ethos of ‘no idea is a bad idea’ encourages children to listen to each other and build on each other’s contribution towards a common goal.

We have a weekly assembly in which children celebrate each other’s achievements. During these children demonstrate pride for their class peers. We also work hard on creating a supporting ‘team’ within classes where they are able to work together towards common achievements, such as attendance and lunchtime awards.

There are a number of situations where children are asked to evaluate the work of a peer and provide feedback in a constructive but positive way. This is modelled to children, scaffolded and positive praise given to desired outcomes. This may be when talking about how to enhance the quality of a sentence, to suggest a more efficient maths strategy, to add detail to a piece of art work and so on.

Good sportsmanship is something that we work particularly hard on during PE lessons, playtimes and in clubs. We teach children how to be gracious winners and to use defeat as a motivational tool for self- improvement.

Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs

Shaw Cross is a diverse school and we actively promote this through our celebrations of different faiths, such as Christmas, Easter, Eid, and Diwali. Children are encouraged to share their own faiths and experiences, and do so with enthusiasm and pride. Through RE lessons and assemblies we compare and contrast different faiths and in doing so develop children’s understanding of their own ideas/beliefs as well as an acceptance and appreciate of others.

We strive to provide a rich environment in which our resources, teaching materials and displays reflect a range of diverse cultures.

As part of our curriculum we make every effort to make links with representatives of different faiths in the community. At intervals throughout the year we invite visitors into school from different faiths, and similarly make links through external visits to places of worship.

On an annual basis we take part in the Jo Cox ‘Great Get Together’ to celebrate different faiths and cultures with families from our community. Within this children learn key messages of the ‘more in common’ campaign and appreciate similarities and differences while enjoying outdoor activities and a picnic together.

Democracy

The Rule of Law

Individual Liberty

Mutual Respect

Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs

Being Me in My World

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Celebrating Differences

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Dreams and Goals

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Healthy Me

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Relationships

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Changing Me

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