Ethos & Values
What's Important To us
"Aiming Higher Every Day" isn't just about achieving academically. It's about the pupils of Old Hill striving to become the very best they can be.
Values are very important to us. They are almost like our very own code! School council decided that we needed stronger, clearer values. Together, we chose:
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Appreciation
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Perseverance
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Respect
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Responsibility
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Tolerance
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Trust
Values aren't just taught through our assemblies or PSHE lessons. In fact, they are reinforced through everything that we do, from respecting both the teacher and pupils in lessons by not shouting out to tolerating differing opinions through discussions and debates.
Appreciation encompasses so many aspects. We teach the pupils to appreciate all of the things their parents do for them: providing food, clothing and love; helping them with homework etc. We appreciate the staff at the school who relentlessly aim to teach the children in the best way possible. We teach our pupils to appreciate each other, even when they have disagreements over a football match - after all, it's opportunities that pupils get at school that we adults often miss (or want more of)! In science, when the children explore invertebrates or SpaceThe world around us is amazing. We want our pupils to appreciate it.
Perseverance doesn't just come in the form of not giving up when faced with a tricky maths problem. It's about every individual being brave, striving to do their very best at subjects they find both easy or hard. It's also though, about seeking help when something is too difficult - there's no point in flogging a dead horse!
Respect is our third value. Pupils are taught to respect one another: opinions, cultures, faiths. We teach them to respect our planet through geography and history so they are educated about the importance of looking after our world and the creatures that live on it. We discuss how a lack of respect in communities can make people unhappy.
Children are taught and encouraged to take Responsibility for their actions. We have members of school council that have responsibility to feedback to their respective classes after meetings; play partners organising games; water bottle monitors; the list is endless!
Tolerance
"Success in today's world — and tomorrow's — depends on being able to understand, appreciate, and work with others."
We are all born
In a different way
How we look
And what we say.
From different countries
Around the world
Of different genders:
Boys and girls.
Of many sizes
And colours too,
The things we like
And the things we do.
If everyone
Were the same you see
You wouldn’t be you,
And I wouldn’t be me!
Trust is our final value but is as equally important as the previous five. Our children have explored some thought-provoking questions with regards to trust:
Who do you trust?
Who do you think trusts you?
Do you ever tell lies?
Do you ever lie to yourself?
In KS1 children enjoy reading stories such as, The Boy Who Cried Wolf whilst in KS2 children will study character relationships in fiction texts as well as propaganda, in upper KS2.