‘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 St Catherine’s these values will be upheld, promoted and reinforced in a variety of ways.
There are opportunities for democracy across the school and children are invited to vote for different outcomes and representatives such as our Sports and House Captains. Our participation in the Smart School Council involves every child in the school. Children have their voices heard through half term class council meetings and a communication team are elected to communicate ideas and progress. Regular ‘stakeholder voice’ activities such as pupil voice, surveys, questionnaires or interviews with senior staff and governors are embedded.
The importance of laws (or rules) are constantly referred to throughout the school day here at St. Catherine’s. We strive to follow the School Rules of Be Ready, Be Respectful, Be Safe and we discuss what these mean in various situation, such as playtimes. Our home school agreement lists the responsibilities for children, parents and carers and school staff and we expect all of our school community to adhere to these.
The pupils at our school are encouraged to make choices; in their work, the level of challenge they undertake, activities and after school clubs. We are keen to promote their independence and so provide opportunities for the children to discuss and choose options. Children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their personal freedoms and to use these safely, for example through PSHE lessons, e-safety sessions and protective behaviour sessions.
Here at St. Catherine’s we embrace and promote Christian values throughout the school. Our Christian values of Love, Forgiveness, Respect, Hope, Trust and Courage are taught, modelled and used as a basis of all our policies.
Though we are a Church school, we welcome families of all faiths or none. We encourage families to share their cultures and beliefs with us and through RE lessons and collective worship learn about a variety of faiths. Children at our school have opportunities to visit different places of worship, hear from different faith leaders and learn about key religious celebrations.
Throughout the year we have assemblies that tackle issues such as; bullying-including cyberbullying and prejudice. We take part in county wide initiatives such as Anti Bullying Week.