Voting/demoracy 

At Wansdyke we welcome all children to make a positive contribution to the life of our school and the wider community. Pupil voice is promoted within classes as well as through the range of children’s leadership groups which we help organise; children have the opportunity to be elected for a role in the School Council, Green Team, Houses, Bugs etc. These groups communicate the thoughts and opinions of children in each class.

Through assemblies and relevant curriculum areas, we help children to understand some local and national debates along with the roles of people involved and the decision making processes. This includes local and national elections, when our school is often used as a polling station.

Individual liberty

Through pupil conferencing, children’s leadership groups and the relationships children have with adults, we promote personal freedom and value freedom of speech. This means that, providing individuals go through the right channels, we take all views into account, listen and respond. Our PSHE lessons/assemblies aim to educate children about their rights and responsibilities, including the empathy required to understand and respect the rights and liberties of other individuals.

When things go wrong, we always give time to individuals to listen, understand differing points of view and help children to understand how other people’s rights and liberty may have been affected.

Mutual respect and tolerance

Everyone at our school is treated equally, no matter what their race, age, culture, faith, social status, abilities etc. We will not tolerate the unequal treatment of anyone.

We teach children to understand the present by helping them learn about past history and culture. \Ne believe that our children will get to see an age which adults will not and we therefore want them to understand our country’s mistakes as well as the strengths which has made it the place it is today. Again, assemblies and PSHE lessons are some of the key ways in which mutual respect and tolerance are promoted.

The rule of law

We promote ‘the rule of law’ through regularly sharing our values with children and ways that we expect these values to be followed through school rules. Our school is based on the idea that everyone will abide by the same set of rules. Throughout the curriculum, assemblies and events we aim to develop children’s general knowledge of public institutions/services and the importance of these in maintaining a society in which everyone feels safe and happy.

\Ne promote the idea of ‘contracts’; this initially start with parents when they sign our home-school agreement. Through a child’s schooling, they are encouraged to sign documents such as their end of year reports. If behaviour plans are drawn up, the child is involved and signs the plan. We promote the value of ‘fairness’ and ‘fair play’, whether it be on a sports field or while children are walking to school in the morning. Children shake hands with their House Captains when they are awarded certificates each week.

Other

We promote competition through sporting events, house points etc; our sports day is a traditional, competitive event with a podium and parents lining the track. We also promote competition by entering teams into local sports events.

Amongst everything the world offers, we make sure we include those institutions/events which are quintessentially’ British and capture/reflect its character, as well as promote the values mentioned above (Monarchy, Royal Legion, Church, Harvest, Wimbledon etc).

Above all, we are a warm and embracing community and we are positive and proud about our school, the community of Whitchurch and its place within the world.