Sellincourt Primary School

Welcome to Sellincourt Primary School. We are committed to respect and value the rights of others and encourage self-belief. We promote consideration, compassion, honesty and trust whilst developing responsible and independent learners. We have high expectations of our children and are committed to each child reaching their full potential.

The Governors and staff of Sellincourt Primary School fully recognise the responsibilities and duty placed upon them to have arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of all pupils at the school. We recognise that all staff, including volunteers, have a full and active part to play in protecting pupils from harm.

Our Values are

• Respect: to encourage children's respect and tolerance for human rights, as well as respect for their parents and the environment.
• Equality: to foster a regard for justice and equality, to be considerate and act in a responsible manner.
• Trust/Honesty: to earn and build trust so that we can work and learn co-operatively, share ideas but be individuals together.
• Responsibility: to encourage children to understand that in order for people to have rights, we have responsibilities to ensure that we do not harm others or ourselves and that we take responsibility for our actions.
• Kindness: to treat others with compassion.

At Sellincourt we are committed to providing an education to equip our children for the future. In order for our children to be the best that they can be, we believe that they need to grow up knowing and understanding their rights, as laid down by the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child. Growing up with this awareness will mean that our children will gain a greater respect for themselves, for others and for the world in which they live, and become active citizens who have a voice and strive to be heard.

The DfE have recently reinforced the need ‘to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote fundamental British values.’ These should form part of the SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) education. The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 ‘Prevent’ Strategy, and these values were reiterated in November 2014. They are defined as democracy, the rule of law, equality of opportunity, freedom of speech and the rights of all men and women to live free from persecution of any kind.

We believe that these are fundamental values and at Sellincourt we draw on the rich diversity of our community to help children understand and appreciate the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped modern Britain and how these values can be promoted. We encourage all children to be tolerant and respectful of each others rights to hold differing faiths and beliefs, and reinforce Democracy.

Sellincourt Primary School is committed to providing a broad and balanced education within a secure and safe environment. We believe in using the curriculum as a tool for broadening horizons and offer a creative curriculum ensuring the best possible progress for all our pupils. Our educational aims for children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities are the same as these for all children in school. More Able pupils are identified within school and provision is adapted to meet their needs.

As a community based primary school, we follow the statutory 2014 national curriculum. We follow the national frameworks for English and Mathematics. In order to raise the profile of reading and writing we expose pupils to a wide range of rich texts. These are used as a stimulus for speaking and listening and reading and writing. We emphasise the importance of talk in pairs and small groups throughout the school. Key writing and reading skills are taught in daily English sessions.

The White Rose Maths Hub scheme is used to support planning in mathematics. This allows children to achieve fluency and depth in their learning. During the year, pupils are given opportunities to perform and present their learning in a variety of contexts and for different purposes such as class assemblies to which parents and families are invited.

We employ an integrated thematic approach to teaching subjects through engaging topics that give children a rich context for exploring subject areas. (Detailed curriculum maps are set out in each year groups). Art and design is linked to each topic through a painting or sculpture allowing children to learn about different periods in art and particular artists as well as developing art skills. We are fortunate to have an in-house artist who works three days a week in school and who facilitates class lessons. We also work closely with other artists and galleries throughout the year.