School Motto

BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE

School Values

RESPECT  RESILIENCE  RESPONSIBILITY

Misson Statement

At Greenside Primary School we:

• work together to achieve the highest standards for every child;
• have high expectations and high quality teaching;
• provide an education that is enjoyable, inclusive, stimulating and challenging;
• help children to fulfil their potential and develop skills for life;
• are at the heart of the community;
• provide a safe, secure and respectful environment that enables pupils to develop emotionally, physically, socially and academically.

British Values and SMSC

In addition to fulfilling our ethos through our motto, values and mission statement, we support the development of our children through the promotion of British Values and our approach to SMSC (social, moral, spiritual and cultural) through our curriculum. 

Promoting British Values at Greenside Primary School

The Department for Education’s five-part definition of British values is:

• democracy
• the rule of law
• individual liberty
• mutual respect
• tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

At Greenside, children will encounter these principles throughout everyday school life. Listed below are some examples of how we promote British values in our school community:

Democracy

Pupil voice is significant in regard to life at Greenside Primary. Our pupil-elected school council plays a strong role in our school. They are elected by their classmates and are involved in making our school a better place to learn.

Pupil questionnaires and interviews are also conducted throughout the year. We know that the formation of the school council and the active participation of our pupils will sow the seeds for a more sophisticated understanding of democracy in the future.

We have welcomed visitors into school to help pupils understand how democracy works in England, discuss the history of parliament and an overview of the democratic voting system.

As part of the visit to London, Year 6 visited the Houses of Parliament in London and met with our MP to discuss local issues.

The Rule of Law

Our pupils will encounter rules and laws throughout their entire lives. We want our pupils to understand that whether these laws govern the class, the school, the neighbourhood or the country, they are set for good reasons and must be adhered to.

This understanding of the importance of rules will be consistently reinforced through assemblies and our curriculum. We allow many opportunities to debate and discuss the reasons for laws so that children can recognise the importance of these for their own protection. Throughout the year we welcome visits from members of the wider community, including police, the fire brigade and many more. We believe that clear explanations and real life stories emphasise the importance of the rule of law for our pupils.

Individual Liberty

We invest a great deal of time in creating a positive culture in our school, so that children are in a safe environment where choices and freedoms are encouraged. Making the right choices and being responsible for those are important principles at Greenside Primary School, which are reinforced in every year-group.

We encourage children to choose tasks that will challenge them, giving them more freedom to determine their own learning. Our zones at playtimes allow pupils to choose activities which will interest them and have been decided together with the school council. We offer a range of clubs which pupils have the freedom to choose from, based on their interests. We believe that valuing choice and freedom in daily school life will foster a value for individual liberty as children embark upon their adult lives.

Mutual respect

Mutual respect is at the core of our school life. Pupils learn to treat each other and staff with great respect. This is evident when walking around school and in the classrooms.

Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

At Greenside Primary School, we offer a culturally rich and diverse curriculum in which all major religions are studied and respected. We strongly believe that tolerance is gained through knowledge and understanding. Through our curriculum and the routines of our daily school life, we strive to demonstrate tolerance and help children to become knowledgeable and understanding citizens who can build a better Britain for the future.

SMSC

Much of the evidence of our British Values work comes through the SMSC (social, moral, spiritual, cultural) curriculum we offer our pupils. Some examples of this can be seen below.

Spiritual

• Revd Tom (St John’s CE church) and the Open the Book team lead regular assemblies in school.
• Y5/6 attend the Greenside Remembrance Service at the cenotaph. A further collective worship is also held in school.
• Christmas productions – KS1 nativity and KS2 carol concert held at St John’s church.
• Pupils sing carols at the Café Church coffee morning.
• Choir sing to open the Greenside Community Centre fairs.
• Festivals from other cultures are celebrated as part of the curriculum – eg: see Diwali and Chinese New Year celebrations.
• Assemblies are structured throughout the year to reflect important events / festivals from other cultures.

Moral

• Raising money and donations for the local food bank.
• Selling poppies and leading assemblies about remembrance.
• High level of curriculum content about Remembrance Day, including opportunities for family learning.
• Anti-Bullying Week, including E-Safety Parents Workshop
• Fundraising for charities such as Children in Need and Comic Relief.

Social

• Welcome meetings at the start of the year.
• Enterprise projects for the school Christmas fair.
• Class assemblies for parents.
• Celebration assembly is held every Friday to reward children for hard work and effort.
• Book Week includes Book fair, buddy reading and family learning sessions.
• A wide range of school visits, including a residential.
• Christmas and Summer Fairs.

Cultural

• All Y5-6 children have the opportunity to learn to play the violin: violin recitals are given to children and parents in assembly.
• Regular theatre visits and opportunities to work with experts.
• Y6 visit to London: Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, The London Eye and musical productions.
• KS2 musical productions.
• All classes participate in class visits, including Discovery Museum, Great North Museum, Beamish, Sunderland Winter Gardens, Rising Sun Country Park.