At Inkersall Spencer Academy, we aim to ensure throughout a child’s journey with us, learners receive a Personal Development curriculum that gives them the knowledge that they need to make decisions, to be resilient and to develop their character and personality. We provide these rich experiences in a coherently planned way – through our curriculum and extra-curricular activities.
Children at Inkersall Spencer, know and understand their role in society; they have a sound sense of self and contribute positively to their community. They are tolerant and understand that everyone’s voice should be heard, and everyone’s views should be acknowledged and respected. They leave primary school armed with the core values of respect, caring, teamwork, success, pride and learning. They are aware of their responsibility as a citizen of the modern world and have secure and developed moral foundations on which to further build.
Our curriculum offer extends far beyond the academic to allow all pupils to develop in many diverse aspects of life. This is encapsulated in our Personal Development Curriculum. We aim to ensure that, over their time at Inkersall Spencer, learners receive a Personal Development curriculum that gives them the knowledge that they need to make decisions, to be resilient and to develop their character and personality.
We teach positive behaviours that are expected in school and within our families and community. We provide these rich experiences in a coherently planned way – through our curriculum and extra-curricular activities. Children leave Inkersall Spencer with the confidence to try new things and make mistakes, seeing the opportunity that lies within adversity.
Our bespoke curriculum has been designed to get the best out of each and every learner. Children are resilient, hardworking and driven. They have been taught how to converse respectfully; how to value the responses offered by peers by celebrating ideas that aren’t their own, and how to politely disagree, offering their own thoughts and ideas. They stretch their own thinking by asking questions of both their peers and themselves.
Our GROW Curriculum
At Inkersall Spencer Academy, everything begins with our GROW curriculum (global awareness, reading widely, opportunities to explore, wonder and curiosity). These aspects are woven through all that we do and underpin our shared belief that our role is to support children in aspiring to achieve, understanding their place in the world and broadening their horizons. We believe it is our responsibility to show children that there is a world of possibility awaiting them, outside of the school gates. We also strive to encourage a love of learning, and a metacognitive understanding of how we can best learn and self-regulate, that will continue into secondary school and beyond.
G – global awareness;
R – reading widely;
O – opportunities to explore;
W – wonder and curiosity.
At Inkersall Spencer Academy, we are committed to providing a purposeful and empowering curriculum that fully prepares learners for the next steps in their school career and opens the doors to the wider world. We want our children to aspire to achieve and believe that it is essential that they understand the world they live in. Broadening our children’s horizons and giving them the belief that they are capable of achieving great things drives our curriculum. Today’s children and young people are growing up in an increasingly complex world, living their lives seamlessly on, and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities but also challenges and risks. In this environment, children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way.
Our PSHE/RSE curriculum gives the children the knowledge and understanding they need to make informed choices and to be a positive influence in the communities to which they belong. Our PSHE/RSE curriculum consists of six main strands:
- Being me in my world
- Healthy Me
- Relationships
- Celebrating Difference
- Changing Me
- Dreams and Goals
The content set out in the statutory guidance for Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education (2019) covers everything that primary schools should teach about relationships and health, including puberty. The national curriculum for science also includes subject content in related areas, such as the main external body parts, the human body as it grows from birth to old age (including puberty) and reproduction in some plants and animals. Our curriculum should ensure that both boys and girls are prepared for the changes that adolescence brings and – drawing on knowledge of the human life cycle set out in the national curriculum for science – how a baby is conceived and born.
Why parents do not have the right to withdraw children from Relationships Education in primary school
At the time of writing, we do not intend to teach Sex Education other than that set out as part of the Science curriculum therefore there is no right for parents to withdraw children from the content being taught. Primary schools should have a sex education programme tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the pupils. If it is felt that any individuals need to be taught aspects of sex education that go beyond what is set out in the national curriculum for science, their parents/ carers will be informed and will have the opportunity to withdraw their child from the additional teaching.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC) is about everything we do at Inkersall Spencer Academy, to help pupils build their own personal values, have positive relationships with others and become responsible young citizens in society. SMSC development supports pupils to be kind, thoughtful and caring and to be able to live and learn alongside people with different beliefs, cultures and lifestyles. Our provision for pupils’ Spiritual, Moral, Social, Cultural and Emotional development (SMSC), builds on our values of our education. An important part of SMSC is to support our pupils to engage with British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and respect for different faiths and beliefs. We want our pupils to be reflective about their own beliefs but also show interest and respect for the beliefs and faiths of others. We encourage pupils to reflect, not just on their own behaviour and the choices they make, but also on the skills needed to remain calm and focused on their learning. Some assume spiritual development is about religious exploration or faith, but this is not the case –the spiritual in SMSC is concerned with developing the non-material aspects of life, focusing on personal insight, values, meaning and purpose. Beliefs that help provide perspective on life may be rooted in a religion but equally may not. Creativity and imagination are important, as is a sense of fascination, awe and wonder.
Moral Development
The moral element is largely about choices, behaviour and how you live your life. It also focuses on personal and societal values, understanding the reasons for them and acknowledging and understanding disagreements. Discussions in class or assemblies, might explore the consequences of decisions, other people’s needs, and ways of learning from experience. Moral development at Inkersall Spencer enables pupils to build a framework of moral values, which regulates their personal behaviour. It is also about the development of understanding of society’s shared and agreed values.
Social Development
Social development shows pupils working together effectively, relating well to adults and participating in the local community. This element of SMSC includes a significant area of personal growth, ranging from engagement with society’s institutions to the skills for successful personal relationships.
Cultural Development
Cultural development is about understanding and feeling comfortable in a variety of cultures. Schools might create opportunities for pupils to experience art, theatre and travel. Valuing cultural diversity and challenging racism is important. Our creative curriculum allows the pupils the opportunity to learn all about different lifestyles, backgrounds and beliefs other young people have.
We promote fundamental British values and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. We reflect the religious backgrounds represented in our community in collective worship and actively promote British Values, encouraging our pupils to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance.
The DfE have recently reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”
The Government set out its definition of British Values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy. At Inkersall Spencer these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:
Democracy
Democracy is embedded throughout our school curriculum. Pupils 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. Pupils also have the opportunity to air their opinions and ideas through our School Council and regular pupil questionnaires. The elections of the School Council members are based solely on pupil votes, reflecting our British electoral system and demonstrating democracy in action.
The Rule of Law
The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced. Our school has high expectations for behaviour, which are deeply embedded in our work every day and through being taught our behaviour curriculum. Each class also discusses right from wrong and sets their own class rules 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. Our pupils are taught our school values and what they look like in practice which is progressive across phases. They are taught the reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken.
Individual Liberty
Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school, we educate and provide boundaries for our pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and an empowering education. Our pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely; examples of this can be clearly seen in our e-safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it is through choice of challenge; of how they record; of participation in our numerous extra- curricular activities; our pupils are given the freedom to make choices and are encouraged to act responsibly and show initiative.
Mutual Respect
As a school that holds values at the core of its ethos, our school values and behaviour policies have evolved around Core Values such as ‘Respect’. The pupils have been part of discussions and collective worship related to what this means and how it is shown. Respect is one of the values that is taught explicitly within lessons, collective worship, enabling pupils to contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of our school. It is shared with home through newsletters and website information. Adults throughout the school model, demonstrate and promote respect for others as do older children who have suitable, age related, tasks and responsibilities and this is reiterated throughout classroom and learning rules, as well as our behaviour.
Tolerance of Those with Different Faiths and Beliefs
Our core value of Respect ensures an inclusive environment for all and an appreciation for all faiths and beliefs. Inkersall Spencer enhances pupils’ understanding of different faiths and beliefs through Religious Education studies; PSHE work; assemblies and visits in order to participate in celebrations such as Diwali; welcoming visitors from other schools in order to celebrate differences. Beliefs, traditions and customs from around the world are studied, with visitors being invited into our school to enrich and extend understanding. Through these activities, our pupils gain an enhanced understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and an understanding of the importance of identifying and combatting discrimination.
Click here to view our Teaching & Progression Overview of British Values.
What do we do in school to protect these characteristics?
- We believe in our school values and demonstrate them throughout our school
- Everyone is welcome in our school
- Everyone can take part in our clubs
- We help people if they have a disability
- We have assemblies that teach us about equality and diversity
- Everyone has a voice
- We have lots of diverse, informative books
- We respect our visitors
- Everyone is different and we celebrate everyone!