Ethos and Values

At Stillness Junior School we value the individuality of all our children and we strive to meet the needs of every child.  We are a place where skills and competencies are taught and the foundations of education are laid. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we expect all of our staff and parents/carers to share in this commitment.

Children are taught how to learn and develop the good habits in their work that provide for the future, such as planning, organising, listening, explaining, researching and co-operating. Our curriculum is broad, balanced, engaging and exciting and we have high expectations for all children. We seek to inspire positive attitudes, a sense of achievement, confidence to widen their horizons and promote respect for others.  We encourage the individuality of all children, irrespective of ethnicity, attainment, age, disability, gender or social background.

We teach children they are valued, that their opinions matter and involve them whenever possible in the running of the school. We recognise the crucial importance of the home-school partnership and work hard to develop positive partnerships with parents and carers. We are fully committed to ensuring that consistent, effective safeguarding procedures are in place to support families, children and staff at school. The achievements, attitudes and well-being of all our children matter.  We encourage friendliness, welcome politeness and recognise our duty to make this school a safe and pleasant place.

At Stillness Junior School we use a Values-based Education approach to teaching and learning. They focus on these values that help to create a strong learning environment that enhance academic attainment, and develop children’s social and relationship skills to succeed at school and throughout their lives.

The positive learning environment is achieved through the values being modelled by the entire school community.

The school community worked together to select a set of 22 values that embody the spirit of Stillness Junior School.  Each month, we teach a value through assemblies, displays and everyday interactions with the children, actively modelling that value and referring to it throughout the day.

When we engage with values we start to understand their implications for making choices about our attitudes and responses.  A Values-based approach encourages reflective and aspirational attributes and attitudes. These can be nurtured to help people discover the very best of themselves, which enables them to be good citizens and prepare them for the life of work.

Each month our newsletters contain our ‘Value of the Month’ so that you can use this at home.  Please have a look at the Values Based Education website for more information: www.valuesbasededucation.com.

Our 22 chosen values are: Learning, Equality, Forgiveness, Kindness, Perseverance, Empathy, Individuality, Patience, Respect, Independence, Pride, Manners, Trust, Responsibility, Community, Determination, Positivity, Appreciation, Curiosity, Friendship, Communication, Creativity.   Our core values are: Respect, Learning and Equality.

We believe that our ethos and values make Stillness Junior School a very special place.