Our Vision and Mission Statement 

Everybody Matters

          Vision Statement

  Through God’s love we all flourish and succeed 

          Mission Statement

  We aim to achieve this by:

            Looking after you:

• Keeping you safe, and being highly inclusive.
• Helping you choose right from wrong, like Jesus taught us.
• Rooting our values in Christian teaching, enabling everybody to be kind and caring within God’s creation.
• Guiding all to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
• Helping you to feel good about yourself, especially for those who find this hard.
• Teaching you to be safe online, so you can learn from the internet and have fun.

Helping you to achieve well in your work:

• Fostering a love of reading and making sure that you can all read well.
• Making work exciting and challenging, so you aim high in every subject and have success – including in art, music, sport and dance, experiencing life in all its fullness.
• Giving extra help to anyone who needs it.
• Letting you be creative and encouraging curiosity, awe and wonder at God’s creation.
• Working with your parents so that we can all help you together.
• Helping you work in teams to solve problems, discuss and find answers to things, even if you don’t always agree.

British Values Statement

At St Giles CE Primary School we value the diversity of backgrounds of all pupils, families and our wider school community. We actively promote the celebration of different viewpoints and cultures, and share with our children Christian expressions of love, compassion and respect for all; we celebrate faith in all its forms. We teach the Learning Challenge Curriculum which includes numerous opportunities to explore themes from the perspective of other people in other countries, and have close links with schools and churches in Africa.

What are British Values?

The Government emphasises that schools are required to ensure that key ‘British Values’ are taught in all UK schools. The government set out its definition of British values in the ‘Prevent Strategy’ - values of:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect
• Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

Our school reflects British values in all that we do. We aim to nurture our children on their journey through life so they can grow into safe, caring, democratic, responsible and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to British society and to the world. We encourage our children to be creative, unique, open-minded and independent individuals, respectful of themselves and of others in our school, our local community and the wider world.

Please click here to read how we incorporate British Values across the curriculum for the entire school.

At St Giles, we actively promote British values in the following ways:

Democracy

• Throughout the curriculum, we encourage all children to debate topics of interest and express their views across a full range of topics and themes, for example in History and Religious Education.
• Through the School and Christian Council, pupils make a meaningful contribution to the running of the school on matters that directly involve them. Children also have the opportunity to have their voices heard through pupil questionnaires and pupil interviews.
• The principle of democracy is explored in the curriculum as well as during assemblies and special days. Local MPs and Councillors (Natascha Engel M.P. and Councillor Diane Charles) have visited the school, met with children and parents, and have donated funding and resources.
• Pupils have had active involvement in the selection processes of new staff.

The Rule of Law

• Our simple school rules are integral to our learning and ethos every day. These are clear, fair and regularly promoted.
• The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced at St Giles.
• Pupils are always helped to distinguish right from wrong, in the classroom, during assemblies and on the playground.

• Pupils are taught the value and the reasons behind laws and rules that govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws or rules are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service reinforce this message.

• The Behaviour and Anti-Bullying policies set out clear expectations that any form of aggression, abuse or violence, which extends to pupils, staff and parents
  and carers, will not be tolerated.

Individual Liberty

• Within school, pupils are actively encouraged, and given the freedom to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment, e.g. by signing up for extra-curricular clubs.
• Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their behaviour and our pastoral support reinforces the importance of making the right choices.
• Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our e-safety teaching and PSHE lessons.
• Vulnerable pupils are protected and stereotypes challenged. A strong anti-bullying culture is embedded in the school and any form of bullying is challenged and addressed.
• Pupils have key roles and responsibilities in school e.g. Play Leaders, leading worship, School and Christian Council, older pupils reading with younger children and so on.

Mutual Respect

• Through our Christian ethos, pupils know and understand that it is expected that respect is shown to everyone, adults and children alike.

• Staff and pupils are encouraged to challenge prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour.
• Collective Worship and discussions involving prejudices and prejudiced-based bullying have been followed and supported by learning in RE and PSHE.

Tolerance of Those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

• Pupils are helped to acquire an understanding of, and respect for, their own and other cultures and ways of life.
• Links and visits are promoted with local faith communities and places of worship.
• Through the PSHE and RE curriculums pupils are encouraged to discuss and respect differences between people, such as differences of faith, ethnicity, disability, gender or sexuality and differences of family situations.
• We offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which all major religions are studied and respected and global dimension work embedded in many of our Learning Challenge Curriculum topics.
• St Giles follows the Derbyshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, and as a Voluntary Aided school treats RE as a core subject.