Values-based Approach 

At Offham Primary School our curriculum and approach to behaviour and personal development is fully underpinned by our five school values. These values, developed in collaboration with pupils, parents, staff members and wider stakeholders, define the qualities we aspire for all pupils at Offham Primary school to demonstrate. We strongly believe that, by embedding these values into everything our pupils learn, experience, and aspire to become, we are fully equipping them to be well-rounded individuals who will lead our society forward.

 At Offham children will therefore learn how to:-  

• Collaborate and work as part of an effective team,

• Be resilient, understanding the purpose of trial and error and the positive ways in which we can learn from our mistakes,

• Understand that they will be responsible for finding solutions to the problems and damage caused by past generations,

• Develop a strong sense of respect for themselves promoting and developing their own well-being and celebrating their individuality

• Learn to celebrate the diversity and differences in the world around them, being compassionate and considerate of the views and strengths, and needs of others.

Collaboration 

In order to solve problems, we firmly believe that our pupils will need to develop core skills to enable them to work together with others effectively. Our lessons and taught units of work are all structured to foster and promote numerous opportunities for pupils to collaborate. This can be collaboration and problem solving within activities, peer and group assessment opportunities or through specific team building exercises.

Respect 

In every aspect of our pupil's day we encourage them to show Respect. 

Our children show self-respect by conducting themselves in a calm, considered and purposeful manner, on and off site, in lesson and during non-structured activities.

 Respect for others is seen in the way our children speak to one another; with interest, politeness, tolerance and understanding and behave towards adults and other children; holding doors, waiting patiently, being helpful.

 Our children demonstrate respect for the learning environment when they look after their classrooms and corridors, being careful with resources and looking after their own belongings.

 We teach our children to show respect through positive role modelling, praise and positive reinforcement and specific personal social and emotional development teaching sessions. 

Resilience

Just as we teach and establish the classroom structures for learning to read we can do the same for building and supporting resilience, a proactive skill in all our students. When the teachers at our school establish resilient classrooms they support memorable experiences for children and higher academic achievement.

 We encourage children to develop an ethos of never giving up and never giving in, part of learning to be resilient is learning that mistakes are a purposeful tool for learning and a positive experience to work through.

 Our children are always encouraged to aim higher and higher. We believe that children will persist in problem solving if we support that persistence. Children become more confident in their skills when we convey to them, through positive nurturing and encouragement, that they are capable and up to the challenge.

Part of learning to be resilient is also recognising that there will also be times when things get tough. We are committed at promoting positive mental health and well-being at Offham and therefore, through our PSHE, nurture and wellbeing schemes, we also aim to help our children develop the capacity to work through difficult times.

Responsibility

At Offham we believe that it is so important that our children understand the responsibilities that they have both now and in the future. It is important that children learn to take responsibility for their behaviour and make educated choices both in school and in life.

 We encourage the children at Offham to take responsibility for their surroundings in school, in the local community and in the wider world. 

• Offham’s Eco-Council encourage the school to look after their school grounds – creating new habitats for animals, recycling, saving water etc.
• As a school we are also looking to support Offham Village by completing regular litter picks.
• We are also educating our children about things they can do that will impact the wider world and look at current issues - such as the plastic in the sea.

Compassion

We believe that it is important all our children develop an appreciation and respect for the diverse society in which we live, showing care and compassion for others around them.

Strong PSHE (personal, social and health education) teaching and timely intervention support ensures that, alongside our firm behaviour and anti-bullying policies, we promote and uphold the positive value of compassion across the school.

Our inclusion team at Offham have developed a strong teaching and nurture programme to help develop friendships and tolerance at Offham. This includes the use of peer mentors (friendship friends) and buddies for our new children.

We have a strong focus on nurture and wellbeing. Our specialist teaching assistants and ELSA help children to talk about and work through difficult times and experiences.