Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours and skills upon which a young person draws, to be successful in life in its widest sense. In order to be happy, healthy and fulfil their ambitions they need to be exposed to a wide range of experiences throughout their school career.
We aim to support our students to fulfil their widest ambitions by creating a supportive environment in which they can thrive, regardless of their age, ability, faith, gender, social or ethnic background. The well – being of our students is of the utmost importance and we have a dedicated team of student managers who are not teachers. They are available to help our young people with any issue that might be troubling them. They refer students to our personal adviser if the problem is more serious. We also employ professional counsellors who work with those students needing more specific and targeted support. Students are encouraged to recognise the importance of recognizing their stress levels and when they cannot manage their emotions and given a wide variety of strategies to cope.
Our ethos is one of mutual respect and we encourage our students to respect themselves, their peers, the adults with whom they work and their environment. These values are reinforced daily, in and out of lessons.
We encourage students to accept responsibility for their behaviour, to show initiative and to understand how they can contribute positively to the school, the local community and to society more widely. We support our students to help others who are less fortunate than themselves by fundraising for a number of local and national organisations.
We recognise the multi – faith and multicultural nature of the wider community in the United Kingdom and strive to prepare our students for adult life in an ever-changing modern world. We actively promote the defined British Values of democracy; rule of law; individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. These are reinforced throughout our curriculum and the wide variety of opportunities on offer in our schools.
Our assembly programme and daily tutor programme affords students the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of topics that help them to reflect upon some controversial issues as well as those more fundamental to their daily lives. The topics which are interlinked, raise awareness of many SMSC related themes. Tutors deliver these activities in a way that ensures students interact with each other.
Student Voice is integral to the way in which we create a sense of belonging for students. They can be part of the School Council or be part of the Prefect Team. They are regularly consulted on a variety of organisational events, for example, they are invited to participate in interviews to appoint new staff. These opportunities also allow them to play a role in organising a number of major events within the School such as Charities Week and Sports Day. It also encourages them to show initiative and helps them to contribute positively to society in its widest sense.
RSE, careers education, student well – being, including mental health, physical health, on line safety and healthy eating are all delivered through the curriculum, reinforced via the assembly and tutor programmes. We organise a number of “SMSC days,” when students are off timetable so that these topics can be explored in more depth with teachers and representatives from outside agencies. We are very fortunate to have developed excellent relationships with many local organisations such as churches, police officers and employers who support us on these days.
Jayne Melhuish November 2021
