'Learn, Love and Live with the Lord'

St Edmund's is a voluntary aided Catholic co-educational primary school.

Our School Aims

With God’s help we aim to …

• promote Gospel values and the teachings of the Catholic Church as an integral part of our mission, providing a comprehensive religious education which expresses the life of faith through worship, liturgy and prayer
• ensure a Catholic ethos which will be experienced by all who enter the school and which will allow God’s light to shine out of each child
• create an exciting and vibrant curriculum where high standards are achieved through high quality teaching, learning and assessment
• provide a warm emotional environment where learning is enjoyed by all, and in which all children are treated as special, individual and important
• provide a safe and healthy learning environment where behaviour is excellent, developing in children a respect for themselves and each other within a loving Catholic community
• be at the heart of the parish, an active part of the local community and of the universal Church
• sustain improvement through high quality leadership and governance
• recruit and retain high quality staff and use our time, effort and resources in the most efficient way to meet these aims

Promoting British values at our school

At St Edmund’s we aim to provide an environment where learning is enjoyed by all, and in which all children are treated as special, individual and important. Our spiritual, moral, social and cultural development underpins all that we do and our ethos, aims, and mission statement promote the fundamental British values. We believe that this allows our children to become successful, confident and respectful individuals prepared for life in both at school and outside.

The British Values are:

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

Democracy

We believe in the value of democracy and the right for all children to have a voice about their school. We learn to listen carefully and respect each other’s views and opinion and we encourage children to take ownership of their learning and progress.

At the beginning of the Autumn Term the children have the opportunity to put forward their ideas for the school to become prefects, house captains, school and eco-councillors. Staff and children choose representatives to speak on behalf of children in their class. This is based on the respect for democracy and participation in the democratic processes reflected in the British electoral system. Children also have the choice of applying for roles such as games captain, digital leader and librarians.

We carry out school and eco council meetings each half term. Discussions take place in class prior to the meetings to ensure each child has a right to contribute their own ideas and suggestions.  

Through class discussions and our ethos statement circle times the children are able to talk freely about their ideas and views. These are respected and listened to by staff and other children. The children are also able to reflect on their own learning through assessment, written comments to feedback, knowledge harvests at the beginning of topics, pupil interviews and questionnaires.

The Rule of Law

Our school values ensure that children understand the importance of making the right choices. The rule of law shows an appreciation that living with rules protects their wellbeing and safety.  Our behaviour policy is shared with the staff, governors, parents and children and is easily accessible on our website.  Each class produces a set of rules to follow using the children’s ideas and is signed by each child. Our children talk about the rules and the importance to uphold them to maintain our school as a fair, safe and happy to learn. This also enables them to have a clear understanding of their responsibilities and the consequences when rules are broken. A copy is displayed in the classroom and a copy sent to the parents at the beginning of the year.  The children learn about the laws in Britain as part of the curriculum and each year the school councillors visit The Houses of Parliament.

Individual Liberty

Our children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are able to do this in a safe and supportive environment. 

As a school we educate and provide boundaries for children to make choices carefully, through the provision of a safe environment and empowering education.

Children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights, responsibilities and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, through our curriculum, EPR/SRE lessons and E-safety program. They are encouraged to make choices in their own learning and to set personal targets.  Children participate in assemblies, workshops, extra-curricular clubs, discussions and groups such as school council to develop this understanding.

At St Edmund’s we believe that individual liberty is important and that each child understands their own freedom to make choices. We celebrate their goals, choices and achievements through acknowledgement, praise, star of the day, house points and celebration assemblies.

Mutual Respect

Respect is one of the core values of our school and we encourage the staff, children, parents and governors to show kindness and consideration to others. We understand the importance of treating others with respect and celebrate diversity within our school and community. We promote this value in our day to day life at St Edmund’s; how we treat each other in class and outside are important. The ethos of looking after each other is key to our values and this is often reflected by how children work together successfully and the prefect and ‘buddy’ systems in the playground.

Tolerance of those with Different Faiths and Beliefs

Through our broad and balanced curriculum, which includes the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) topic, we provide the opportunity to learn about different cultures, faiths and beliefs. Within our ‘Come and See’ RE topics the children will learn about Judaism and Islam. Educational visits to the local Mosque take place to experience their learning first hand. Children also learn about festivals such as Chinese New Year and Hanukkah. The IPC curriculum takes a global approach; helping children to connect their learning to where they are now as well as looking at the learning from the perspective of people from other countries.