Ethos:

We Grow Success

At Wavendon Gate School, we have a culture where every child has the opportunity to achieve their full potential, leading to a bright future.

Vision:

We aim to:

• provide a safe, secure and happy learning environment, which enables both children and staff to thrive
• grow lasting success by enabling children to develop their creative, social and academic skills
• develop well-rounded healthy individuals who are, motivated, confident, ambitious and resilient
• inspire a passion for learning by offering all children a broad, balanced and progressive curriculum
• build an inclusive community promoting our school values as chosen by our children

Values:

1. Respect – Autumn 1
2. Kindness – Autumn 2
3. Honesty – Spring 1
4. Courtesy – Spring 2
5. Self-belief – Summer 1
6. Growth – Summer 2

The Wavendon Gate Way

At Wavendon Gate School we endeavour to develop children’s character through our behaviour curriculum (The Wavendon Gate Way). In order to build character, we define the behaviours and habits that we expect students to demonstrate. We want to support our pupils to grow into adults who are polite, respectful, grateful and who put others before themselves. We believe that as pupils practise these behaviours, over time they become habits that positively shape how they feel about themselves and how other people perceive them.

Teaching the curriculum

The curriculum is taught explicitly during the autumn term alongside the traditional National Curriculum subjects. The ‘Wavendon Gate Way’ is taught to pupils, so that they understand what is expected and encouraged and what is prohibited. Children learn the content of the curriculum so that they can recall the information and act upon it. At the start of each term, the ‘Wavendon Gate Way’ is revisited with pupils and will continue to be reinforced throughout the year. As with other curriculum content, this is taught using explicit teaching based including regular quizzing to check and strengthen retention. Teachers also model these behaviours and ensure pupils have many opportunities to practise these (particularly in the first few days of term).

Curriculum Content

3 behaviour principles underpin the ‘Wavendon Gate Way’. Below are our 3 Rs and included are some examples.

Promoting British Values at Wavendon Gate School

At Wavendon Gate, we promote fundamental British values through our ethos, the curriculum we teach and our commitment to Moral, Social and Cultural development of the pupils we serve.

We reinforce and promote the British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance.

Democracy

We promote an understanding of democracy by giving children access to Article 12 UNCRC; ‘Every child has the right to express their opinion’.

Children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. Classes hold annual elections in order to select two school council members for each year group. The school council meets regularly to discuss issues raised by pupils. School Council members are also involved in the recruitment of new staff, wherever possible.

Children have an annual questionnaire to put forward their views about the school. The children have been involved in making decisions about a range of aspects of school life, such as the PE uniform, changes to school lunchtimes, the introduction of the school values system and play opportunities. Our pupils are often encouraged to discuss their viewpoints in lessons and to make decisions as a group, giving them additional choice and autonomy.

The concept of democracy is a key driver in our history curriculum. Children learn about the role of the Prime Minster in year 1 and the election process. Children move on to learning about the origins of democracy through The Greeks in year 3 and finally return to the UK democratic system in year 6, concluding with a visit to The Houses of Parliament in London.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws is consistently reinforced throughout the school day.

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. Keeping safe when using the internet is regularly discussed with children in computing lessons and in assemblies. They are encouraged to follow the school rules and recognise positive values within each other through the school values system and behaviour policy.

The school has good links with authorities such as the Police and Fire Service, who visit and help to reinforce the Rule of Law and educating children on ways to keep themselves safe.

Individual Liberty

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, through provision of a safe environment and an empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely; for example in computing through our approach to Online Safety.

Wavendon Gate pupils are given the freedom to make many choices, be this in class, through a wide range of extra-curricular activities, fundraising or sporting opportunities or their choice of musical instrument, for example.

Mutual Respect

Mutual respect is at the core of our school life. The children learn to treat each other and staff with great respect. This is evident when walking around the School and in the classrooms. Children learn that their behaviour has an impact on their rights and those of others. There are many opportunities to develop SMSC (Social, Emotional, Spiritual and Cultural Education) across the curriculum for example through R.E., PSHE, PE, art, music, history, geography, science and English. Children are encouraged to work in collaboration as much as possible either in their class, with other year groups, as mediators, as Digital Leaders, as Play Leaders and sometimes with other schools in sport or at music and dance festivals.

All members of the school community treat each other with respect. We publish all our behaviour policies on the website which set out our expectations. Assemblies on inspirational people reflect this ethos. We hold regular events where members of the school community are able to celebrate our diversity.

Tolerance

Wavendon Gate is a diverse community and this is our strength.

Within our school we constantly promote tolerance towards others from different backgrounds, cultures, languages, faiths and beliefs.

Our Religious Education syllabus, Personal, Social, Health and Emotional curriculum and Rights Respecting ethos reinforce our commitment towards a tolerant society. Parents and members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. At every opportunity we explore the similarities between religions and cultures.

As an inclusive school we celebrate a variety of important religious festivals throughout the year. During these we encourage the children to identify similarities between faiths. Diwali, Eid al Futr, Guru Nanak’s Birthday, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Easter and Shrove Tuesday are examples of festivals celebrated at Wavendon Gate School.

At Wavendon Gate we will actively challenge pupils, staff, parents or anyone in the school community expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values, including ‘extremist’ views.