SCHOOL VALUES, ETHOS, VISION & SPIRIT

At Bedford, we have high expectations, which are set in a creative and caring context. We believe in a culture of achievement because we know that exam success is important to everyone. Equally important to us are the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all our students.

Our values

• To Care.
• To Learn.
• To Achieve.

Our School Ethos and Vision

We relentlessly strive to help our students to discover, develop and demonstrate their potential. This is our core purpose. Our aim is for every 16-year-old student to leave us as a rounded individual, who feels excited about the opportunities the world has to offer and is equipped with the qualities, virtues, skills and knowledge to be happy and excel in life.

We achieve this by putting staff first. This means we develop, nurture and retain a high-quality workforce, where there is a high-quality teacher in every classroom delivering high-quality lessons every hour, every day.

Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development at Bedford High School.

We will encourage and support all our students in their journey:

• To realise their full potential.
• To have the highest expectations for their future.
• To enjoy a fulfilling life.
• To share an ethos of respect for themselves and others.

We will achieve this through our wide, varied and personalised curriculum and the extensive provision of extra-curricular events and enrichment activities on offer to our students.

School discipline

Bedford High School and its governors promote standards of behaviour based on the basic principles of honesty, respect, consideration and responsibility for self and others.

To enable a clear, consistent and agreed approach towards successful behaviour management, all students have the responsibility to ensure that they understand the rules, behave appropriately and fully understand the consequences and rewards resulting from the decisions and actions they take.

Positive achievement is encouraged at all times with a whole range of rewards to recognise effort and achievement.

To support the School’s vision of ‘enhancing the life chances of all learners’ we expect students to follow a learning code based on the basic principles of honesty, respect, consideration and responsibility for self and others. Additionally, we believe it is vital to equip students with an enterprising mindset to aid their success in a rapidly changing world.

The Bedford SPIRIT

S We STRIVE for excellence. We want the best for ourselves and our futures and work hard to get it. We learn well, dream big and have ambition. We play the long game and aspire to do well. Our horizons are wide, and we are excited to explore.

P We PERSEVERE, when the going gets difficult. We solve problems and have a ‘can do’ attitude. We focus and reflect on ourselves as learners to make progress. We manage our workloads at home and complete homework to a good standard. We value being mentally tough and resilient and can draw upon inner strength when we are being challenged.

I INTEGRITY is important to us. Forming our own ideas and being honest about ourselves and having the confidence to do what is right. We see our school as democratic and trust the rule of law. We listen carefully to other opinions and decide for ourselves.

R We show mutual RESPECT and care, including to other people or ideas we don’t agree with. We greet others and smile to show that we value all individuals at our school. We respect the teacher’s right to teach and a learner’s right to learn. We are tactful and think before we act. We wear the uniform with pride and attend every day and show good time-keeping.

I We are INDEPENDENT, influenced by the good and have the strength of character to resist the bad. We self-start and motivate ourselves. We respect individual liberty and others’ freedom. When we achieve, we have made that happen ourselves.

T We show TOLERANCE and kindness towards others. We tolerate those of different faiths and beliefs. Understanding difference and celebrating diversity is important to us. and what makes our school unique. We empathise with others and have a positive influence on those around us.

Bullying is always taken seriously and will not be tolerated from any member of Bedford High School (see anti-bullying policy).

British Values Statement

Bedford High School is committed to serving its community. The school embraces the belief that at the heart of a modern ever changing community is the acceptance of key British values, which it has a responsibility to promote. In doing so, our learners will be able to grow as individuals and citizens within the community and country in which they live.

The school believes that this is something not only achieved through the curriculum but through the school’s core values and ethos as well as its provision for students beyond formal lessons. Our core values guide and drive the direction of the school’s improvement but are also fundamental in supporting the development of British values within our setting.

The government defines “British Values” in its “Prevent Strategy” as:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect

Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

Throughout the whole school, the importance of mutual respect is emphasised. Thus, in all lessons, students are encouraged to respect the views of others, irrespective of whether they differ from their own.

At Bedford High School these values are explicitly taught within the humanities curriculum. They are further embraced throughout the school curriculum in its focus on SMSC (Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural Development).

In addition to the curriculum which students follow there are many other opportunities and activities which students participate in which underpin the promotion of British values. Student Voice activities give students a role in contributing to the life of the school as a learning community. There are many opportunities for students to do this; as form representatives, the Junior Leadership Team, the Media Team and the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors to name but a few. Some subjects also have their own subject leaders such as Sports Leaders in P.E and the Arch Bishop of York Award in RE and Citizenship.

The school also runs a Duke of Edinburgh award programme giving students the opportunity to develop their own individual skills and talents as well as taking part in the community service element. Through the many sporting activities and clubs such as those in Drama and Music, students have the opportunity to learn and reflect British values. School teams cannot win matches and trophies without understanding and following the rules of football and netball and without the players respecting each other’s’ skills and abilities. School productions cannot succeed without performers trusting and supporting one another.

The school’s Debating Society is another aspect of school life which contributes to the development of British values. Observing the process and etiquette of formal debating, nurtures in students an awareness of democracy and mutual respect.

No school ever stands still and Bedford High School is no exception. The school will continue to strive to ensure that its children and young people leave with the strongest foundation of values upon which to build a successful life and make a positive contribution to society.