School purpose
The following statements express our purpose as a school and underpin the school vision of ‘Learning for Life’. In designing our purpose, we put the child at the very centre. During and at the end of the time children are with us we want to be able to describe all our children in the following terms. I have included the rationale for each of the eight elements.
Engage with learning and the school community
It is important that children have self-efficacy, they keep going in the face of obstacles and believe in themselves. Through encouraging and providing opportunities for children to engage with learning and the school community we aim to foster self-efficacy. This element will be met though the experiences and opportunities we provide for children and the encouragement and support given to push them to try new things or to put themselves in situations where they are challenged.
Express themselves confidently and creatively
This will be a key skill to have for children’s employment opportunities in the future. The two aspects of this element, whilst linked, are easier explained as separate entities. Firstly, we are a Voice 21 school, which means we specifically plan for, teach and promote opportunities for oracy within the curriculum. In terms of expressing themselves creatively, this refers, not only to those subjects where creativity is more obvious such as art, drama and music, but also in other disciples such as maths and science.
Understand powerful knowledge that provides cultural capital and transforms their conceptual understanding of the world
This sits at the heart of our curriculum. We cannot teach children how to think, unless they have something to think with. Our school has worked alongside curriculum and subject experts to provide a coherent and connected curriculum of knowledge. The knowledge is relevant and provides cultural capital for all our children, it is also powerful …’because it provides the best understanding of the natural and social worlds that we have and helps us go beyond our individual experiences’ (Young, 2013, p. 196).
Think critically and imaginatively
Critical thinking means we want our children to be able to think clearly, rationally and analytically, making connections between ideas and concepts. We also want children to make informed choices about what they are exposed to in the real and digital world and form a balanced view of issues. We also want to encourage children to think imaginatively, to think about what could be, try alternative routes to solve problems and embrace failure as part of the learning journey.
Act with empathy and compassion
To create the school community and future society we want, it is important that children understand and act with empathy and compassion. This is a strong element of our approach to behaviour, but it is also present in the curriculum so that children will not only engage with facts, but also consider how people, groups and the planet are affected by the choices we make.
Experience memorable moments
Rather than waiting for memorable moments to happen in the lives of our children, we want to deliberately create them through elevation, insight, pride, and connection. Teachers plan to deliver learning that will be remembered and we want to help our children experience a sense of awe and wonder about the world through the way the curriculum is designed. We will also seek opportunities for all our children to have experiences that give cultural capital, e.g. visiting a museum, watching live theatre, feeling the sand between their toes.
Feel a sense of belonging and purpose
Children have a need to feel accepted and appreciated by their peers and teachers in order to feel like they belong. Those who feel included in the school community are more likely to attend regularly, participate actively in their school work, and build lasting bonds with fellow pupils. Helping children find their purpose means that they feel good with the way that they are situated in the world and that their actions in it have a sense of meaning to them. We will plan and search for opportunities to represent the different groups within our diverse school both in the curriculum we teach and the role models that they can relate to. Staff will show a genuine interest in the lives of the children, reflecting back their relevancy to the school community.
Be successful
There are many definitions of success, be it achieving tangible outcomes, monetary rewards or personal fulfilment. At Hunter’s Bar we define success as an individual realization process that comes to one through hard work, perseverance, and living the happiest life you can live. Success breeds success and it is a key ingredient in motivation, therefore we are constantly giving opportunities for children to feel successful and recognise success when it occurs. We want to teach our children that they can all be successful at something, helping them on their way to discover their own individual passion.