We are a community in which everyone is offered the opportunity to fulfil their full potential, to understand themselves and be valued for who they are. Through a stimulating and challenging learning environment, we pursue academic excellence and seek the flourishing of all. This is because we know we are all God’s children.

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.”         John Wesley

Our vision clearly outlines the importance of essential life values that we know enable children to flourish as individuals, part of our school family, local and wider community. These values, along with our Christian and British Values, are embedded and reinforced daily throughout school life. This is enhanced by our UNICEF work as a 'Gold' Rights Respecting School.

British Values

The DfE have reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”

The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy, and these values were reiterated in 2014. At Colsterworth School, these values are reinforced regularly alongside our key Christian Values and Christian ethos.

Democracy

Colsterworth CE Primary is a UNICEF Rights Respecting school. Each year the children decide upon their class charter and the rights associated with these. All the children contribute to the drawing up of the charter. Children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. We have a Student Council which meets regularly to discuss issues raised in class council meetings. The council has its own budget and is able to genuinely effect change within the school. All Student Council members for each class are voted in by their peers. The Student Council ensures that all pupils have ownership of the school, how it operates and therefore their education. At Colsterworth ‘Every Child has a Voice’.

Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school collective worship. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service help reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons. Whether it be through choice of learning challenge, of how they record, of participation in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities, pupils are given the freedom to make choices.

Mutual Respect

As a Rights Respecting School, mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Children learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community treat each other with respect.

Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Colsterworth is situated in an area which is not greatly culturally diverse, therefore we place a great emphasis on promoting diversity with the children. Collective Worships are regularly planned to address this issue either directly or through the inclusion of stories and celebrations from a variety of faiths and cultures. Our RE, PSHE and Rights Respecting School Award teaching reinforce this. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. Children visit places of worship that are important to different faiths. At Colsterworth we will actively challenge pupils, staff or parents/carers expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British Values, including ‘extremist’ views. Click the button below to view our British Values curriculum map

UNICEF

Every child, no matter who they are or where they live, has the right to grow up safe, happy and healthy.

The Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA) recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at the heart of a school’s planning, policies, practice and ethos.

UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. UNICEF works with families, local communities, partners and governments in more than 190 countries to transform children’s lives by protecting and promoting their rights. UNICEF supports children by providing health care, nutrition and education. UNICEF protects children affected by war, natural disasters and AIDS. In the UK, UNICEF champions children’s rights and works to win support and raise money for our work for children worldwide.

Colsterworth Primary is a UNICEF Rights Respecting school. Each year the children decide upon their class charter and the rights associated with these. All the children contribute to the drawing up of the charter. Children have many opportunities for their voices to be heard. We have a Student Council which meets regularly to discuss issues raised in class council meetings. The council has its own budget and is able to genuinely effect change within the school. All Student Council members for each class are voted in by their peers. The Student Council ensures that all pupils have ownership of the school, how it operates and therefore their education. 

UNICEF Award

The school has been awarded the Unicef Rights Respecting Schools Gold Award. A glowing report has focused on the continued ethos of the school as a place where respect and equal rights are promoted, lived out and celebrated and in particular how seamlessly this is integrated with the school’s Christian vision and ethos.  These opportunities come through enterprises including British Values Day which involved democratic voting for Student Council, ECO School awards, International School awards, Unicef Day for Change, Africa Day and fundraising for The Friends of Nyansakia. Pupils have also been learning about working conditions for children in Victorian Britain, lack of rights for victims and prisoners of war, Black History Month, how to support the rights of refugee children through the Unicef OutRight Campaign, multi-cultural festivals, E-safety and Friendship week. 

ECO Schools

Pupil involvement has continued to be a key part of our journey, with children from each class being elected to form the Eco Warriors team supported by Mrs Abbey. 

Being an Eco Warrior at Colsterworth is incredibly important.  Being ‘eco’ means we are making changes in the way we do things.  We all try to ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ but being eco is much more than that.  We learn about ways to save energy, reduce pollution and conserve natural habitats.  As a school we have been awarded Green Flag status twice – we are very proud of our achievements.

Eco Warriors are elected from every class.  Meetings are held which are minuted and initiatives are discussed and brought to their classes attention.

'High Five' at Colsterworth

One of the ways that these aims are lived daily and implemented fully into our curriculum and school ethos is through our ‘High Five’, which serves to empower children with positive guidance through a loving, caring Christian environment.

Within a loving and caring Christian environment we have our ‘High Five’:

Our ‘High Five’ serves to empower the children with positive guidance:

• Lessons from the geese (more on this at the bottom of the page)
• We have the WOW factor!
• Enthusiasm
• A safe place to make mistakes
• We are a ‘Respect and Take Care’ school

'The 3 Rs' at Colsterworth

We also have our 3 Rs: 3 things that help us to remember how we can be the best we can:

Respect and take care of ourselves.

Respect and take care of others.

Respect and take care of the environment and the world in which we live.

'Safe Hands' at Colsterworth

Each year, every child at Colsterworth chooses five people to be on their ‘safe hand.’  The children are reminded of the importance of being able to talk to someone if they have a problem and to share any worries that they might have.  Through PSHE lessons we help the children to understand that there are trusted people in school and in their own lives that they should talk to if they have a problem. There is always a reminder in every classroom for the children, to highlight the importance of this:

'Lessons from the geese' at Colsterworth

Here at Colsterworth we take inspiration from the lessons of the geese that teaches us that we all need to lead, work together and help one another in order to help ourselves and each other grow.

• As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the birds that follow. By flying in V formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
• Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier, because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
• When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
• Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose, we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help, and we give our help to others.
• When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.
• Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s skills, capabilities, and unique arrangement of gifts, talents, or resources.
• The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those in front to keep up their speed.
• Lesson: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.
• When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help or protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
• Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.