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Vision & Strategic Priorities
“At Orleans Park the wellbeing, progress and achievement of every student are at the heart of everything we do.”
| Goals | Strategies |
|---|---|
Leadership and Management |
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Quality of Education |
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Behaviour and Attitudes |
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Excellence in Delivery |
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School Development Plan 2023-2024
British Values
At Orleans Park School, we develop and promote British Values throughout our school and within our curriculum. The five British Values are:
- The Rule of Law
- Democracy
- Individual Liberty
- Mutual Respect
- Tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs
To do this our students will develop:
- An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
- An understanding that the freedom to hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
- An acceptance that people having different faiths and beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of discriminatory behaviour
- An understanding of the importance or identifying and combating discrimination
The vision statement and aims of the school clearly reflect these values, and the whole school strives to uphold them. These values are also reflected in our Equality Objectives. As a school, we value and celebrate the diverse heritages of everybody at Orleans Park. Alongside this, we value and celebrate being part of Britain. We celebrate different traditions and customs in the course of the year such as Christmas, Diwali, Eid al-Fitr and the Chinese New Year.
In terms of the curriculum, British values are typically taught across a number of subjects as well as through our personal, social, health, and economic (PSHE) education. Assemblies and tutor times are also used as opportunities to promote these fundamental British Values as part of the broader Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of our students.
We participate in Votes for Schools to ensure a full coverage of British Values. Through weekly tutor times on a range of topics, from politics to extremism to the environment, Votes for Schools is one way in which we provide our students with the tools to develop into well-rounded, thoughtful, and respectful individuals, developing a sense of identity and purpose, as well as an awareness of their place in society. This, in turn, helps to promote social cohesion and understanding, as well as contributing to the overall well-being and happiness of our students.
The table below is an indication of where we can find evidence to show that British Values are an intrinsic part of school life at Orleans Park School.
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Value |
Evidence |
|---|---|
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Democracy |
Students, families and staff have many opportunities for their voices to be heard at Orleans Park School. Democracy is central to how we operate. Student voice is used to enable our students to respond and reflect on the teaching and learning they receive as well as make suggestions for how it can be improved. Students participate in the interview process for certain key positions in the school. They also have opportunities to participate through applying to join our Student Leadership Team, becoming part of the Student Committee for Change, becoming House Captains, student mentors, charity fundraising or joining one of our student groups, such as our LGBTQ group named ‘Under the Umbrella’ or our Feminism group. Surveys and consultations are sent out to families and staff on a regular basis to capture their voices so that they can inform the decision making of the School Leadership Team. We participate as a school in UK Parliament Week and invite our local MP in to talk with students. Students are always listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully and with concern to each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. We encourage students to take ownership of not only their school but also of their own learning and progress. This encourages a heightened sense of both personal and social responsibility and is demonstrated on a daily basis by our students. |
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The Rule of Law |
The importance of rules and laws, whether they be those that govern our school or our country, are referred to and reinforced often, such as in assemblies and when reflecting on behaviour choices. At the start of each term, all students are reminded of the school ground rules and class routines, principles that are clearly understood by all and seen to be necessary to ensure that every class member is able to learn in a safe and ordered environment, Students 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. These values are reinforced in different ways:
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Individual Liberty |
Alongside rules and laws, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs. Through the provision of a safe, supportive environment, we provide boundaries for our students to make choices safely. Our students are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are taught how to exercise these safely in our PSHE lessons and our Votes for Schools tutor times. There are explicit links made in assemblies demonstrating how they are supporting British Values. By teaching our students how to manage and understand emotions they will be motivated and equipped to:
Students are given key roles and responsibilities such as being on Student Leadership or the Student Committee for Change, or becoming House Captains, Reading Buddies or Student ambassadors. |
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Mutual Respect |
We have high expectations of achievement and behaviour. Students and staff are polite and kind. We listen and respect each other. We teach students that conflict will be dealt with calmly and fairly. All members of the school family are valued equally. We celebrate each other’s achievements whether that be in or out of school through our Celebration Assemblies and Headteacher’s Awards. Teachers plan exciting, interesting, challenging and innovative lessons where everybody is expected to do their best and respect others. When our older students are given key roles and responsibilities to work alongside younger students this helps to promote mutual respect across the age phases. E.g. Reading buddies and Sixth Form mentors. |
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Tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs |
Orleans Park School is proud to promote and celebrate our different backgrounds and beliefs. Tolerance, politeness and mutual respect are at the heart of our aims and ethos. Our students know and understand that it is expected that respect is shown to everyone and to everything, whatever differences we may have. Students learn that their behaviour choices have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community are encouraged to treat each other with respect. Specific examples of how we at Orleans Park enhance students’ understanding and respect for different faiths and beliefs are:
Whilst instances contrary to our values are relatively rare, each is treated seriously in line with our policies and expectations. |