Intent
At Sponne School we recognise the importance of preparing all of our students for their adult lives beyond the formal examined curriculum. Developing our students' Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development is the responsibility of each and every one of us. We do this by considering that an important aspect of preparation for adulthood is to promote and reinforce the Fundamental British Values (FBVs).
These values support all of us to establish a strong sense of social and moral responsibility within our community. They help us to challenge prejudice and stereotyping and underpin what it is to be a citizen in a modern and diverse Britain. They support us to create an environment free from discrimination, intolerance and hate.
The principles of Fundamental British Values are actively promoted through our school values which underpin our vision at Sponne School, as well as explored across the wider academic curriculum. As well as promoting these values to students, the conduct of all school staff reflects them.
Students are aware of their rights and responsibilities within a culture built on freedom and equality.
Students are aware that there is a need for rules in order for everybody to feel secure, happy and safe.
Students are aware of their own rights and the rights of others.
Students are aware that our school ethos and behaviour policy has evolved around the values which underpin our vision to Dream, Believe, Achieve. Thus emphasising the importance of the value of every member of our community.
Students are aware and understand that we don’t all share the same beliefs and values. They respect the values, beliefs and ideas of others whilst not imposing their own onto others.
Implementation
We believe it is crucial that our school models the principles and practice of democracy. Students have the opportunity to have their voices heard through the Year and Whole School Councils, as part of the Prefect teams and through frequent student surveys. Our Year Council members are elected annually by students in each form group and those on the Whole School Council are elected by the members of each Year Council. The democratic process is employed for important decisions within the school community so that students can experience and understand how this process works. Students applied to become part of the Prefect teams and those in the 6th Form underwent an interview process before selection as members of the Prefect Leadership team.
The importance of codes of conduct and behaviour are consistently reinforced throughout the school day, and through school assemblies. Our staff are positive role models for our students. In the school environment the rules are fair and rewards and sanctions are made very clear to all members of the community. Through our PSHE curriculum and assemblies students are taught about why laws are important in a democratic society, and about the laws that govern and protect the citizens of the UK. They learn about the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken.
Within school, students are actively encouraged to make positive choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we provide boundaries for students to make choices safely. Students are encouraged to know and understand how to exercise their rights and personal freedoms. We advise them how to exercise these safely, for example through our PSHE Curriculum and tutors sessions as well as in their computing lessons. Students have the right to choose from a wide range of enrichment activities based on their interests and we positively encourage students to do so.
All the adults in our school community model the importance of mutual respect. We have a zero tolerance approach to all forms of bullying. Students take part in discussions and assemblies about what mutual respect means and how it is evident in social interaction. Students learn how their behaviours can affect themselves and others; and this is also emphasised through our behaviour policy. Our PSHE curriculum teaches students how to behave responsibly towards themselves and others in preparation for adulthood.
We approach this by developing students' understanding of their place in a richly diverse society. We give them opportunities to experience such diversity through visitors to the school, and through our wider enrichment programme which encourages them to be outward-looking and curious about the wider world. We welcome students from all faiths and cultures to learn at our school. Learning about different faiths and beliefs in RE is supported by other areas of the curriculum, such as English, geography, history, art, drama, music, and history, and features in some assembly themes.
Our assemblies uphold our school vision of the values which will support them to Dream, Believe, Achieve alongside the traditional values of empathy and tolerance. Assemblies respond to current issues that are of interest to, or affect, our school community. We welcome outside speakers from a range of diverse backgrounds to speak at assemblies.
Impact
Our vision is reality: ‘’Our motto is to Dream, Believe, Achieve and all that we do is aimed at enabling our young people to reach their goals. This was inspired by a previous student, Tom Hollick who passed away just before his GCSE exams in 2017 but has left a legacy with us of a commitment to high aspirations and being inclusive of everyone in our community. We strive to enable students to believe in their potential futures, to be proud of what they do and to show respect to others. This enables us all to be motivated to achieve our dreams whilst celebrating achievements across the school..’’ (Mr Iain Massey, Head teacher)
More can information can be found on our vision and values here
Details of the PSHE curriculum can be found on the Faculties page (Humanities, then PSHE tab)
