Aims and Ethos

Student outside smiling on the yard

Our School

Whatever the nature of their local community and their special educational needs and disabilities, pupils are growing up in a wider multi-cultural and multi-racial society where they are subject to various attitudes towards minority groups, and the images of these groups portrayed by the media. Our core purpose is to engage, enable and empower every pupil to optimise their future life chances by unlocking individual potential and maximizing their progress and attainment. 

Our Values

Our values are central to achieving our aims and sustaining the positive ethos of our school. As a moral compass, values guide us from day to day in our learning, thinking and decision-making. The impact of our values is evident in the culture and lived experience of daily school life for all. 

At Percy Hedley School, the children are at the centre of everything we do. Our priority is to deliver the highest quality teaching and therapy whilst providing rich, engaging and enjoyable learning experiences for our community of children.  Everything we do as a school is to ensure that all pupils achieve their very best in all aspects of their development. 

Our integrated staff teams are deeply aware that children only get one chance at their education and it is our job to ensure that they all fulfill their individual potential and aspire for the highest levels of personal development and achievement. We want every child to be successful; to reach for success from the very first day they join us and throughout their school lives so that when they leave us, they have a love of learning for the rest of their lives and consequently have the best life chances. 

We Aim To

  • Provide a safe, secure and stimulating environment that is conducive to all children having every opportunity to reach their full potential; 
  • Have the highest regard and respect for the experiences, knowledge and cultural diversity that every child brings to school. 
  • Value the achievements of all children, both in and out of school 
  • Include opportunities for all children to develop self-confidence, self-esteem and self-efficacy. 
  • Provide a supportive culture in which all staff are encouraged to extend, develop and share excellent practice and their expertise; 
  • Ensure that issues of equal opportunities are considered in all our work; 
  • Provide a curriculum based on the National Curriculum and Early Years Framework that is ambitious, broad, balanced, relevant, progressive and appropriately differentiated and supported 
  • Offer all children equal access to the curriculum and school life in the community where individual differences are appreciated, celebrated, understood and accepted 
  • Encourage and support pupils to become good citizens, by developing caring attitudes and respect towards themselves, other children, adults, their school and their community 
  • Recognise that children are constantly developing and ensure that the learning opportunities, interventions and curriculum provided to them is appropriate to their needs and development; 
  • Encourage each individual to take responsibility for his/her own behaviour and to act as a good role model to others. 

 

The Department for Education state 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.”

Pupils have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. We have a school council which meets regularly to discuss issues. The school council is able to genuinely effect change within the school. The council members for each year group are voted in by their class.

Pupils take part in an annual questionnaire with which they are able to put forward their views about the school.

Pupil feedback is sought and recorded as part of the annual review process and pupils’ views form part of the basis of next steps and further interventions.

The importance of rules and laws, whether they be those that govern a class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when approaching behaviour interventions and through school assemblies. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities, such as the Police and Fire Service, help reinforce this message. The school works in partnership with the local police service to support officers in understanding the nature of disabilities and how to work most effectively with individuals with additional needs.

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for pupils to make choices safety, through of provision of a safe environment and empowering education.  Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised on how to exercise these safely; for example, through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Disability rights and support to tackle discrimination of any kind also forms part of the work we do at Percy Hedley School.

Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy has revolved around core values such as respect for others. Pupils take part in discussions and assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown.

Within the context of their SEND, the pupils understand that it is expected of them and the importance of respect for everyone, whatever differences there may be.

The school ensures that pupils understand and show tolerance of those who have different faiths and beliefs.  This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity. Assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school, such as local religious leaders leading school assemblies on their faith.

During ‘Special’ weeks, classes focus on a different country and research and present facts about their countries. Beliefs, traditions and customs are studied in depth, with visitors of varying faiths and backgrounds being invited into school to enrich and extend pupils’ understanding.  Through this our pupils gain an enhanced understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society. Trips that enrich and support tolerance of those of different faiths include visiting the local synagogue, where custom were explained and pupils had the opportunity to partake in them.

Equality Statement

The Equality Act 2010 was introduced to ensure protection from discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of specific characteristics (referred to as protected characteristics).

For schools, this means that it is unlawful to discriminate against pupils or treat them less favourably because of their gender, race, disability, religion or beliefs, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity.

We will:

  • Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
  • Advance equality of opportunity between different groups
  • Foster good relations between different groups
  • As a public organisation, we are required to:
  • Publish information to show compliance with the Equality Duty.  This is achieved via our Equalities Policy
  • Publish Equality Objectives which are specific and measurable

Our Equalities Policy is in line with national guidance and contains information about how the school/college complies with the Public Sector Equality Duty. We also give guidance to staff and outside visitors on our approach to promoting equality.