Ethos and Values 

Our ethos is based on the school’s three core values, as chosen by the children and the wider school community:

‘In a community of kindness where all belong, be positive, be resilient, be creative’

Vision 

Our vision is to provide all children with opportunities to flourish academically, personally, and socially and believe in their ability to succeed.

We want all children to:

• be equipped with the knowledge and skills to flourish independently and collectively in their educational journey and beyond.
• discover their passions and interests so that they can be inspired to greatness by continually improving their own best.
• enjoy learning and be curious to find out more, developing the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.

The strength of character developed through academic, personal, and social experiences will empower children to increasingly participate in and contribute to their immediate and wider communities with confidence.

Mission

Staff, governors, pupils, and parents all have an important role to play in helping us to achieve our vision. The following identifies the ways in which our key stakeholders will contribute to the achievement of the school vision:

Staff:

• Provide inspiring experiences to nurture curious minds.
• Provide a broad, balanced, and aspirational curriculum, that is inclusive, accessible and adapted to enable all children to succeed. 
• Build skills and knowledge by breaking down complex knowledge and teaching it step by step. 
• Establish community links and provide pupils with meaningful opportunities to understand how to be responsible, respectful, active citizens who contribute positively to society.  
• Expose children to the world beyond Wiltshire and the greatness within it, strengthening their knowledge of the world around them and deepening their understanding of the curriculum through first hand experiences.
• Provide access, in a limited number of areas, to specialist coaching to enable children to develop a high level of expertise over time.  
• Teach children to behave with integrity and cooperate consistently well with others: promote care for self and one another, respect difference, sense of belonging.   
• Create equality of opportunity so that all pupils can thrive together.

Governors:

• Proactively engage with and contribute towards the achievement of the school vision.
• Apply the seven Nolan principles of public life to all aspects of governance: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.
• Scrutinise the curriculum & quality of education. 
• Hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and children.
• Provide resources that enable staff to achieve the vision. 

Pupils:

• Demonstrate the core values chosen by the pupils and the school community:
  • Be positive by trying their best and focusing on the good.
  • Be resilient by demonstrating a never give up attitude, even if things do not always go their way initially.
  • Be creative by thinking outside the box and beyond their limits.
• Have their say and are part of the decision making (school seniors/pupil voice)
• Behave in a way that aligns with the ethos and values of the school.  For example, be respectful, kind to one another, positive, caring, responsible, look after one another, be inclusive, follow the school rules, no bullying.  This will help to create a happy school environment in which to learn effectively.

Parents/Carers:

• Support children both within and outside of the school environment and be creative with opportunities to learn e.g. proactively engaging with school events, regularly helping with reading, writing and maths at home.
• Support the teachers and school staff and be respectful of their role(s).
• Model good behaviour e.g. teach children to be respectful of others.
• Engage with the school’s attempts to communicate and voice opinions in a respectful manner using appropriate channels.

Values Statement  

'In a community of kindness where all belong: be positive, be resilient, be creative'

Our core values were chosen by the children of Bitham Brook Primary School in April 2022. These values reflect the behaviours that we hold dear; behaviours that will guide us to be a happy and successful community, and values that will help us to grow habits that will serve us well in life. 

The Governing Body and parents were consulted on values chosen by the children and supported their choices. A strong theme in the parents' response was inclusivity and belonging. In light of this, belonging was added to our core values.