Growing together, hand in hand      

After considering the ideas and views of the staff, children, parents, governors and the local community, we have identified three key drivers that represented the needs of our school: personal development, growth and community. They encompass the core values of our school and are broad and wide ranging to enable us to shift focus on those aspects, which are most pertinent. 

Personal Development

The circular shape of our school badge represents the whole child. It is like a protective bubble. It represents the traits that our children will need to develop as they venture into our complex world. It includes promoting physical health through Physical Education. However, it recognises the importance of good mental health too. It sees how developing characteristics such as resilience and independence are crucial skills that our children will need in order to face the challenges of life. Securing personal well-being is at the core of everything we do, for not only our pupils, but also our staff and community too.

Growth

Our school vision is growing together hand in hand. Promoting each child’s personal growth is important to us and to our parents. Growth is represented on our badge by the Gorse bush. Gorse is a hardy and resilient plant that grows and flowers in all sorts of areas. A plant that grew right here long before the school was built. Like the Gorse on our school badge, we hope that our children grow to see the wide range of opportunities that are available to them. By developing social capital and providing a range of experiences, we hope that the children will begin to see that the possibilities are endless. This means developing a curriculum that introduces them to other cultures and heritage. It introduces them to a range of religions and beliefs and ideas about spirituality. It develops creativity through the arts, including music, drama and art itself. It promotes a rich language and develops good communication skills.

Community

The hands reaching out to each other on our school badge represent community. We have always had a strong sense of community here at Gorsemoor. Visitors and parents often comment on the ‘family feeling’ of our school. Our community starts with each family unit and the links they make with our school from the very beginning. It continues by including the outside agencies that we may need to reach out to in order to support the children in our care. Community is about understanding our identity and the bonds that join us together. It is also about recognising our place in the wider world and making connections with other people and places. This is not just within our own locality but also spreading out further onto a national, European and international scale. It is important for our children to understand the diverse nature of the world that they live in through promoting British Values and helping children to recognise their rights and responsibilities as a global citizen.

Alongside teaching the requirements of the national curriculum, our key drivers are personal to our school and reflect the social and educational needs of our local area.

They make our school curriculum unique.