Our Ethos – Aims – Values
Our Vision
At Chalton Lower School we value the children’s happiness and emotional wellbeing above all else. We make education fun and work hard to create firm foundations for lifelong learning. Every day, we help the children to enjoy the present and anticipate the future with enthusiasm and confidence.
Ethos
We do this by:
- Nurturing the children’s mental, physical and emotional health.
- Having high expectations for everyone to be the best that they can be.
- Embracing diversity, promoting inclusivity, and celebrating individuality.
- Providing learning which sparks the children’s interests and curiosity in the world around them.
- Helping the children to appreciate that mistakes are part of learning and success.
Chalton Lower School is committed to promoting racial equality and harmony. It expects everyone who is part of, or who visits this school, to support the commitment both in the way they act and in the words they use. The school’s Behaviour Management Policy sets out the expectations for both the staff and children in regard to standards of behaviour.
Aims
We aim to:
- Be a kind, caring and helpful school.
- Be healthy and keep fit.
- Have the opportunity to talk.
- Have fun, exciting and interesting lessons.
- Ensure that everybody listens to each other.
- Use Values Based Education all the time.
- Use the School Council to help to make decisions.
- Work hard and do our best.
- Ensure that everyone is valued.
- Develop confidence, high self-esteem, a can do attitude and a sense of independence.
(The children wrote these ten statements.)
Democracy
At Chalton Lower School we listen to the views of the children, and we do this through a variety of means including:
- Pupil surveys.
- Circle time.
- A thriving School Council elected by the children.
- Playground leaders.
- Year 4 Sports Ambassadors.
- A strong element of teamwork and debating where the children are encouraged to express their viewpoints and listen to the views of others respectfully.
- Children taking the initiative to lead in aspects of the school such as charitable appeals, assemblies and fundraising.
Values Based Education
At Chalton Lower School our school ethos is values driven with good values taught integrally to all that we do. We want the children to grow up valuing themselves, others and the environment. We teach the children a range of values which help them to work with one another cooperatively and with respect. They learn the importance of friendship and unity, we teach the children to approach life with positivity and hope, and to show empathy and acceptance towards others. These values make our school community a happy and fun place to be where the children feel secure and valued for who they are and what they contribute to the school.
Values Based Education Programme
Values are principles that guide behaviour. At Chalton Lower School all adults are encouraged to model values and to give time for reflective practices. We believe that this empowers the children to be effective learners and good citizens. The Values Based Education Programme is intended to support the personal, social, emotional and spiritual development of every child throughout the school. The staff team and all of the children are involved in promoting values and recognising where others are ‘living the values’ we teach. The values we teach have been selected by the staff and children as values which are important within our school community and which will be important throughout life.
Aims
Through the Values Education Programme we aim to:
- Develop the children’s understanding of what values are and why they are important in life.
- Encourage the children to ‘live the values’ in all aspects of their lives both in school and out.
- Promote values to the children in every aspect of school life.
- Promote values in the way in which adults interact with each other and with the children.
- Display our school values and encourage all visitors to take account of them in their time in the school.
- Encourage parents/carers to support the programme at home by promoting the ‘value of the month’ to parents/carers in school newsletters.
Procedures
- Our Values Based Education Programme consists of two sets of 11 values over a two year rolling programme.
- Each month the new value is introduced through assemblies and work in class.
- Further understanding of the value in the context of the school and the wider community is developed through the value being promoted by all staff in every aspect of school life.
- Assembly themes are predominantly values based with religious festivals observed and a balance of different religions promoted in teaching our values.
- Circle time and PSED/PHSE lessons will be further opportunities to discuss and promote values within each classroom with informal opportunities being utilised whenever possible, e.g. at playtime and lunchtimes.
- Values are displayed in the school hall and within each classroom.
- Values are promoted to parents/carers through our weekly newsletter with each month’s value highlighted.
- Values are promoted to the community through our website which highlights our values approach.
To find out more about Valued Based Education please click here to visit the Values Based Education website: https://www.valuesbasededucation.com/vbe/what-is-vbe
Please take a look at our values schedule below to see what value we will be focusing on each half term.
