Ethos and Values Statement

“For all pupils to receive a quality education in a stimulating and inclusive learning environment where every child can thrive.

This ethos and values statement set out who we are, what we believe and how we behave as a learning community. It speaks of our commitment to high-quality, personalised education for every pupil, shaped by our context and driven by our core values: respectful, resilient, ready, responsible.

Our identity and context

Chiltern Primary School is a one-form entry (1FE) primary school serving a diverse local community. Nearly half of our pupils are eligible for pupil premium support (45%), and a significant proportion have additional needs (27% SEN, 8% with Education, Health and Care Plans). These distinctive characteristics shape our priorities: equity of opportunity, flexible support, strong relationships and high expectations for every pupil.

Our context informs our mission: to remove barriers, celebrate difference, and ensure every child receives a broad, ambitious and inclusive education that enables them to flourish academically, socially and emotionally.

Our vision

We are united by the vision:

“For all pupils to receive a quality education in a stimulating and inclusive learning environment where every child can thrive.”

This means we commit to:

• Delivering consistently high-quality teaching which is responsive to the needs of all pupils.
• Creating a learning environment that is stimulating, welcoming and safe.
• Ensuring every child is known, valued and supported to achieve their best.

Our values — what they mean and how we put them into practice

We live by four core values. Each underpins our daily decisions, curriculum design, behaviour expectations and partnerships with families and the wider community.

Respectful

Meaning: We treat everyone with dignity, listen to different perspectives and celebrate cultural diversity. How we demonstrate it:

• Staff model courteous language and active listening; pupils practise restorative approaches in conflict.
• Classroom routines include turn-taking, respectful questioning and valuing others’ contributions.
• The curriculum includes opportunities to learn about local heritage, national traditions and global cultures, promoting multicultural awareness.
  Example scenarios:
• In a mixed-ability discussion, pupils build on each other’s ideas and teachers ensure quieter pupils are given space to contribute.
• Displays around the school reflect pupils’ home languages and cultural events, reinforcing a culture of respect.

Resilient

Meaning: We encourage perseverance, a growth mindset and the capacity to learn from setbacks. How we demonstrate it:

• Teachers design progressively challenging tasks with scaffolded support and planned opportunities for productive struggle.
• We teach metacognitive strategies and explicit routines for reflection after assessment or mistakes.
• Wellbeing and emotional regulation are embedded in daily practice and supported through targeted interventions where needed.
  Example scenarios:
• A pupil who finds reading hard receives daily small-group interventions, learns strategies to decode text and is praised for persistence as well as progress.
• When a class project does not go to plan, pupils evaluate what happened, suggest improvements and try again with adult support.

Ready

Meaning: We expect pupils to be prepared to learn—emotionally, socially and academically—and for staff to be prepared to meet pupils’ needs. How we demonstrate it:

• Clear classroom routines promote punctuality, organisation and readiness to learn (for example, morning check-ins and established start-of-day rituals).
• Staff use assessment effectively to be ready with pre-teaching, differentiated tasks and timely feedback.
• Parents are supported to help pupils be ready for school through accessible home–school communication and practical guidance.

Example scenarios:

• A Year group newsletter each half term sharing the learning that will be happening in that term
• Teachers pre-teach vocabulary to pupils who will benefit, so everyone arrives at lessons ready to access the learning

Responsible

Meaning: We foster accountability for behaviour, learning and the school community, and encourage pupils to contribute positively. How we demonstrate it:

• Pupils are given roles and responsibilities (class prefects, play buddies, peer mentors) appropriate to their age.
• Clear expectations and consistent consequences are taught and modelled; restorative conversations help pupils take responsibility and repair relationships.
• School-wide initiatives encourage civic responsibility, community volunteering, local partnerships and charitable activities

​​​​​​​Example scenarios:

• Older pupils mentor younger children at reading time, modelling good strategies and taking responsibility for another’s learning.
• A class leads a community project to improve the local green space, taking responsibility for planning, teamwork and presenting outcomes to parents.

Our educational approach and how it connects to values and vision

We believe every child has unique talents, abilities and aspirations. Our approach is personalised, inclusive and ambitious, designed to nurture individuality while maintaining high expectations.

Key principles:

• High-quality, differentiated teaching: lessons are planned from clear end points, use assessment to identify need, and provide scaffolded challenge so every pupil makes strong progress.
• Personalisation within an inclusive framework: targeted interventions, adapted resources and reasonable adjustments ensure pupils with SEN and those eligible for pupil premium access the same curricular ambitions.
• Broad, balanced and enriching curriculum: we develop academic knowledge alongside creativity, physical development and character education, including opportunities for cultural capital and real-world application.
• Strong relationships and community partnership: family engagement, multi-agency working and local community links extend learning beyond the classroom and support pupils’ wider needs.
• Development of character and metacognition: teaching learning behaviours explicitly, so pupils become resilient, reflective and self-regulating learners.

How this links to our values and vision:

• Being respectful underpins inclusive pedagogy and community engagement.
• Being resilient is embedded through growth-mindset strategies and targeted support.
• Being ready is promoted through routines, diagnostics and family partnership.
• Being responsible is developed via roles, restorative practice and civic projects.
  Together these practises make our vision tangible: a stimulating, inclusive environment where every pupil can thrive.

Examples of the ethos in action

• Individualised progress plans: Pupils with EHCPs and those receiving pupil premium have tailored learning plans co-produced with families and specialists, reviewed termly to ensure personalised targets are ambitious and supported.
• Weekly enrichment timetable: Arts, music, outdoor learning and clubs are scheduled so all pupils’ access enrichment; targeted bursaries and in-school support enable full participation for disadvantaged pupils.
• Learning environment: Classrooms display learning journeys, success criteria and cultural artefacts; a ‘heritage and voices’ corner celebrate pupils’ home cultures and promotes discussion.
• Family partnership: Regular parent workshops, accessible communication channels ensure families are partners in learning.
• Behaviour and wellbeing: A consistent behaviour framework emphasises clear expectations, restorative conversations and reward for effort and kindness; pastoral staff coordinate interventions and signpost external support.
• Pupil leadership: A democratically elected pupil council leads projects that address school-life improvements and community action, demonstrating responsibility and leadership.

Accountability and ongoing development

We commit to continuous self-evaluation and high standards. Leaders, staff and governors use data, pupil voice and external evaluation to refine practice and ensure our ethos translates into measurable improvements in achievement, well‑being and inclusion.