We are proud of the outstanding young people who leave our school. They embody our Gem Values and are ready to make a world of difference to their own lives, their community and the world, forging their own path. At Parson Street Primary School, personal development and our hidden curriculum means working with families and our community to teach our children to become successful, empowered individuals and lifelong learners.
Children at Parson Street Primary know and understand their role in society; they have a sound sense of self and contribute positively to their community. They are tolerant and understand that everyone’s voice should be heard and everyone’s views should be acknowledged and respected. They are aware of their responsibility as a citizen of the modern world and have secure and developed moral foundations on which to further build.
Children leave Parson Street Primary with the confidence to try new things and make mistakes, seeing the opportunity that lies within adversity. They have been taught how to converse respectfully; how to value the responses offered by peers by celebrating ideas that aren’t their own, and how to politely disagree, offering their own thoughts and ideas. They stretch their own thinking by asking questions of both their peers and themselves. We believe it is our responsibility to show children that at there is a world of possibility awaiting them, outside of the school gates. We also strive to encourage a love of learning, and a metacognitive understanding of how we can best learn and self-regulate, that will continue into secondary school and beyond.
Our Extra-Curriculum Clubs:
Our curriculum extends beyond the National Curriculum and includes a wide range of experiences and opportunities within and beyond the school day. Personal development is a component of all subjects, however the key subjects which teach personal development discretely are: PSHE, RE, PE, Computing and Science as well as including our RSE curriculum. The curriculum overview for these subjects details the planned progression of knowledge and skills. Central to our approach to children’s personal development is our work to raise children’s aspirations by broadening their experiences and opportunities. Children are invited to attend clubs, encompassing sports, the arts, computing and problem solving. This is complemented by our highly successful Enterprise Project, with mentors from the business community. Our specialist club programme is designed to link with and enhance the school curriculum for all age groups from Reception to Year 6. Our program is a broad offer and includes sports, art, music, and many more. We aim to have a club for everyone, whether that is during lunch times or after school. Please see below an example of our club timetable.
Trips and Visits:
Trips and visits take place throughout the school year, in all year groups linked to our enquiry curriculum, our wider curriculum as well as immersive days for our writing curriculum. If appropriate we also invite external speakers to deliver talks and workshops, including our local vicar, local businesses and our secondary school Headteachers.
Our residential trip in Year 5 and Year 6 builds children’s independence and provides opportunities for children to experience resilience and determination through outdoor education.
PGL Trip (for our Y4-Y5 children):
Assembly Timetable:
Assemblies are planned with links to the UNCRC, equalities, British Values, current events and important local and global issues. They are an integral part of personal development and prioritised in our timetable. Children often play an active role in planning and delivering assemblies.
In addition, we mark special festivals, celebrations days and commemorative occasions in assemblies and classes and partner-up with members of our community to deliver these assemblies/ workshops. Examples include Remembrance Day, Eid, Black History Month, Christmas, Anti-Bullying Week, World Mental Health Day, International Day of the Girl, Harvest and UK Parliament Week as well as ensuring children belong with opportunities to talk and debate.
Pupils as Leaders
Pupils have many opportunities to become a leader in school. These include leadership roles such as school councillors and green team leaders. Children within Year 5 and Year 6 are invited to become Opal Ambassadors. They represent the school with responsibilities in school hours and attend out-of-school events such as meeting members of the community, singing and leading sports games.
British Values
The DfE have 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 those with different faiths and beliefs.” The Government set out its definition of British values in 2011, and these values were reiterated in 2014.
At Parson Street Primary School, we aim for our children to become valuable and fully rounded members of society who treat others with respect and tolerance, regardless of background. We promote the basic British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs.