At Ash Grove we believe it is vital to educate the whole child. So, we not only develop the academic education of each child but we also support children to develop spiritually, morally, socially and culturally so that they can be good future citizens.
Alongside this we ensure that every child has a good understanding of the world they live in and understands and can demonstrate the fundamental British values identified by the Department of Education.
At Ash Grove we have 3 core values that we teach the children and that thread through everything we do across school. They link into our aims for the school and also to our behaviour policy. We aim to teach children these values and help them to identify them in action in themselves, their classroom, their school, their family their wider community and globally in the world beyond.
Showing responsibility – We aim to teach children to be responsible citizens who contribute to their community, take personal responsibility for the choices they make and the decisions they take.
Showing respect – We aim to teach children to respect themselves and others, to always be kind and to demonstrate respect and understanding for those who are different to themselves.
Showing appreciation – We aim to teach children to demonstrate gratitude for the gifts that they have, to show appreciation for themselves and others and for the world around them.
We teach fundamental British values through our assemblies, our vision planner and our curriculum.
In our assemblies we use Picture News as a vehicle to teach the children about Fundamental British Values through a real life and meaningful context. Children debate a big question that supports them to discuss an issue relating to current affairs linked to a Fundamental British value such as ‘The Rule of Law’ or ‘Democracy’.
This is then followed up through work in each classroom each week. Children are encouraged to talk about the value in question and relate this to themselves, their class, their school, their family, the wider community and then globally.
Through our assemblies, curriculum and wider enrichment we aim to teach children to develop spiritually, morally socially and culturally.
We ensure that children have the opportunity to stop, reflect and be mindful, in so developing their spirituality. We know that through the curriculum and wider school work, opportunities to experience awe and wonder are important in developing children’s curiosity about the world they live in.
Our school values, coupled with our behaviour system, ensure that children are exposed to a clear understanding of right and wrong and can shape their moral centre in readiness for the next stage of their education and also wider life. We want our children to be successful citizens who invest in and are an asset to their community.
We encourage and provide very opportunity for our children to develop their social skills, working as individuals to contribute to the team, or collaboratively to make a difference together. Learning how to live and work with and alongside others is a key life skill that is developed both within and beyond the curriculum.
Our curriculum ensures that children are exposed to and learn about cultures that are different from their own and as a result they develop a wider understanding of others. Equally, we ensure that children are well equipped with the knowledge and understanding of their own culture so that they can be successful in a British context.
