Holy Innocents Catholic Primary School

Choosing the right school for your child is one of the most important decisions you will have to make and it is a very personal one.

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.”

Holy Innocents’ is a single, stand-alone Academy that sits within the Bromley Catholic Schools Trust. The Bromley Catholic Schools Trust is an Umbrella Trust that has been established to promote and assist in the promotion of education in the London Borough of Bromley. The aims of the Trust are to promote the achievement of a high quality education for all pupils in all Catholic schools within the umbrella and to promote and develop the Catholic ethos. Holy Innocents’ uses UNICEF’s Children’s Rights as a basis for much of its PSHE curriculum. Each year the children will decide upon their class charter and the rights associated with these. All children will contribute to the drawing up of the charter.

Children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. At Holy Innocents’ we have a School Council made up of elected class members from each year group, who meet regularly to discuss issues raised in classes. The School Council will often raise issues which are then passed on to the SLT or Head Teacher, and is able to genuinely effect change within the school.

Holy Innocents' is a Catholic School with strong links with the parishes of Holy Innocents, Orpington, St. Michael & All Angels, Farnborough and St.Teresa's, Biggin Hill. We are blessed to include pupils and families from a range of other parishes both Catholic and of other faiths. Our aim is to provide a caring environment in which every child’s potential is realised academically, physically and socially.

We strive for high academic standards but at the same time support children who find academic learning more difficult. We encourage the Arts, in particular the visual arts and we provide many opportunities for sport.

Parents are vital to a child’s education and we value a good working relationship with our parents. Parents are welcomed into the school to help in a range of activities. We have an excellent Parents Association, which not only raises much appreciated funds for the school, but organises social functions as well. This enhances the family atmosphere in our school.

• We are kind, helpful and polite,
• We tell the truth
• We always try our best
• We take care of everyone and everything,
• We listen to each other and respond appropriately.
• At Holy Innocents’ we will actively challenge pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values, including ‘extremist’ views.

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 pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it be through choice of learning challenge, of how they record, of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices. We set the right balance between risk taking and appropriate boundaries to nurture a ‘can-do’ mindset in our children within a supportive and caring atmosphere.

Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. A key strength at Holy Innocents’ is the relationship between all our staff and the pupils. Visitors to our school and members of the public who see us out and about on the many trips we go on, comment positively on behaviour, manners and relationships. Though we embrace debate and differing opinions, from the governing body down throughout the school, we value and respect one another and we show this by using good manners in all our interactions. Our aim is that all members of the school community treat each other with respect.

Holy Innocents’ is rich in cultural diversity and we celebrate this within our school community. We learn about other world faiths through the RE curriculum and we also celebrate members of other faiths within our community. Assemblies are regularly planned to address this issue either directly or through the inclusion of stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. Our RE and PSHE teaching and cultural awareness reinforce this. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.