Our mission is for all of our pupils is to Experience Success <-------> Build Aspiration. Our school community is founded on our 6 values: Respect, Resilience, Responsibility, Creativity, Courage and Understanding. These values thread through all aspects of Bowerhill Primary School life and apply in equal measure to staff, pupils and governors. They embody our attitude and intentions towards the importance of the development of all aspects of school life and contribute to our mission. We value our personal development curriculum as equally as we do our academic curriculum and we have built our personal development curriculum to provide opportunities for all of our children to achieve this intent. Our personal development curriculum is interwoven into our every day, through carefully considered enrichment opportunities which compliments and extends the academic curriculum. These can be dynamic but there are fundamentals which do not change- these can be found in our “7 in 7” experiences. Our curriculum (including personal development curriculum) was built through consultation with all stakeholders, encompassing all aspects from these values on top of which everything else stands, right through to the individual experiences we’d like our children to experience. 

Through our Personal Development curriculum, our children learn about:

  • Fundamental British Values
  • Protected characteristics
  • Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
  • Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)
  • Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development (SMSC)

Children build good character and a moral compass with the support of fair, consistent and just behaviour systems, including rewards, to encourage choices that replicate these we expect of good global citizens. Our behaviour policy ensures school is a microcosm of society. Children have the opportunity to become more self-aware and independent in their behaviour choices. We emphasise restorative justice as a means of building empathy and understanding. 

Assemblies

Children learn about a wide variety of topics through a well-considered and structured weekly assembly plan. These cover: the school values and specific people who have embodied these; SMSC; protected characteristics and key religious and cultural events from around the world. These planned assemblies are delivered by the Headteacher on Mondays and Deputy Headteacher on Wednesdays. The specialist music teacher delivers Tuesday singing assembly. Class teachers deliver class assemblies based on a specific pastoral need in their class. The Headteacher delivers a celebration assembly on Fridays where children from across the school receive: The Star of the Week, Values Star, WOW Award and celebrate out of school achievements as well as events where children have represented the school in some form. 

Bowerhill 7 in 7

The 7 essential opportunities our children have to enrich their education are:

  • To perform on a stage - The benefits to performing on a stage to a live audience are profound. It allows children to flourish outside of the academic and nurture their wide-ranging talents. Each year group has the opportunity to perform on a stage at least once per year: EYFS- Nativity; Year 1 – Easter show; Year 2 and 3- Harvest show; Year 4- Concert; Year 5- Young Voices; Year 6- Bath Forum Dance Festival, Year 6 production
  • To go to the theatre -When we consulted stakeholders about the experiences they wanted our children to have, the inspiration of the theatre came through strongly in all stakeholder groups. The inspiration and impact of these experiences is immeasurable. Pupils will get this opportunity through the support of the PTA in Year 4, 5 and 6, meaning the children will have been to the theatre 3 times by the time they leave us. 
  • To go on a residential trip – The independence and resilience children gain from being away from home and in situations outside of their comfort zone are key elements to building strong character. The opportunities to go to Braseide in Year 4 and Pencelli in Year 6 pro
  • Learn CPR- Learning life saving skills, outside of the classroom could potentially be a fundamental skill that could help save someone’s life in an emergency. 
  • Represent the school in a sporting or arts event- We want our children to feel proud of their school and their achievements beyond the academic. We actively seek opportunities to represent the school in a wide range of sporting activities as well as the arts, such as Young Voices and West Wilts Dance Festival. The children who represent the school are always celebrated in our assemblies with the hope to inspire other children to represent the school, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • Visit parliament (Year 6 trip)- Democracy is a fundamental British value and is a substantive concept that runs through our curriculum. We engage with our local MP as much as possible. Visiting parliament is a potentially once in a lifetime experience that will stay with the children forever. Understanding more about the history of the UK its laws.
  • Take part in a legacy project to improve the school for future pupils (Year 6 Enterprise Project)- Key stakeholders identified financial literacy and real life skills as a big part of what they’d like their children to learn at Bowerhill Primary School. We have developed this into a legacy project to develop out key value of responsibility, understanding legacy as leaving something in a better place and planting seeds you never get to see. Children attend a financial workshop with a local financial advisor and then are given £500 by Bowerhill Buddies (PTA) to create an enterprise project. The profits from the project can be spend by the Year 6 children however they see fit to make the school a better place. 

 

British Values

British values are displayed in every classroom as well as a big display in the main corridor of the school. Children learn about British Values in a variety of ways, through the PSHE curriculum, assemblies, school opportunities and our 7 in 7. 

Children learn about democracy through history in many themes as well as other types of governments. Where possible, we bring in our local MP for democracy workshops to supplement their learning of the history of democracy and bring this back to being relevant to our children today. This culminates in a trip to the House of Commons in Year 6.

Children learn to be tolerant of other cultures by celebrating everyone’s differences. This happens through the RE curriculum, where children gain a strong understanding of the major world religions. Assemblies regularly focus on world religious and cultural events in the calendar. These are supplemented by being delivered by religious leaders where possible. 

Through the history curriculum and PSHE, children learn about the rule of law both in the UK, around the world and through history all around the world. This begins in Early Years through visits from emergency services and continues through school They reflect on laws such as apartheid and slavery in Year 5. They learn about democracy, the UN and Human Rights and Amnesty International in Year 4. Children look at invasion at various points in history and ask themselves if the Roman Invasion was a bad thing whilst looking at our conflict driver. This is all underpinned by our behaviour policy and behaviour ladder. The children learn that consequence isn’t always a negative term and the rules of the school are incredibly clear for the children to aspirational with but also reflect upon when things go wrong. 

Individual liberty is learned and celebrated in a number of ways. Children learn about protected characteristics, which is clearly mapped through the PSHE and RSE curriculum. Assemblies have also focussed on protected characteristics and have been pitched at an age-appropriate way eg linking racism to The Smeds and The Smoos. 

Respect is a theme that runs completely through our school. It is one of our 6 school values and is fundamental to our ethos. Children are shown which values they are learning about or through in the foundation curriculum so are aware when respect is a focus value. Children are given activities across the curriculum that promote respect such as debating and providing feedback to peers. Children learn to respect differences and how respect themselves and each other through forming healthy relationships.

PSHE and RSE 

This is taught through our thematic Dimensions curriculum, as well as through discreet lessons to ensure our children have the knowledge they need to keep safe. Through our PHSE and RSE curriculum, the children learn about: Physical, emotional and mental health; Healthy lifestyles; Hygiene; Nutrition and food; Aspirations; Changing and growing; Emotions; Protected Characteristics; Keeping Safe; First Aid; Similarities and differences; Online safety; Healthy relationships; Discrimination; Communication; Collaboration; Bullying; Fairness; Family and friends; Rules and responsibilities; Communities; Money and finance; Enterprise and Diversity. SMSC Through holistic opportunities within our curriculum and assembly schedule, children will develop their: Spiritual understanding by:

  • Being reflective about their own beliefs (religious or otherwise) and perspective of life
  • Obtain a knowledge, and respect, of different people's faiths, feelings and values
  • Enjoy learning about themselves and others
  • Use imagination and creativity in their learning
  • Be reflective on their experiences

Moral understanding by:

  • Ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and to readily apply this understanding in their own lives, and to recognise legal boundaries and, in doing so, respect the civil and criminal law of England
  • Understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions
  • Interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues

Social understanding by:

  • Use of a range of social skills in different contexts - for example, working and socialising with other pupils of different ages and backgrounds
  • Willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including by volunteering, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively
  • Acceptance of and engagement with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. They will develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain

Cultural understanding by:

  • Understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of others
  • Understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures in the school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
  • Ability to recognise, and value, the things we share in common across cultural, religious, ethnic and socio-economic communities
  • Knowledge of Britain's democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history and values, and in continuing to develop Britain
  • Willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, musical, sporting and cultural opportunities
  • Interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity. This is shown by their respect and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities