DR TIMP

As well as promoting good social and moral values within school, we also promote the following fundamental British values: Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual liberty, Mutual respect and Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. We do this through our character of DR TIMP.

At North Mead Primary Academy these values are interwoven through our whole curriculum and ethos. The values are reinforced regularly and below are just some of the ways that this happens:

  • D – DEMOCRACY – Democracy plays a prominent part within our school. Children have the opportunity to have their voices heard in school. Assemblies are based on Team Tactics, relevant topics and Votes for Schools, where children are encouraged to air their views and cast their vote. The school also carries out regular questionnaires with the pupils to ascertain their thoughts and feelings about our school. The findings are shared with staff and Governors and form part of the school’s self-evaluation and future planning. Primary Leadership Team are elected democratically, voting in each class at the beginning of each year.
  • R – 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 addressing behaviour and through school assemblies. Children are involved in setting class charters; helping pupils to make decisions and choices that are acceptable to the school community and society at large through our Team Tactics. 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 through their bespoke PSHCE lessons. Pupils are helped to learn to manage their behaviour and take responsibility for their actions through the School Behaviour policy which reflects the Team Tactics. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service are regular parts of our calendar and help reinforce such messages about the importance of living by society’s rules and laws.
  • T – TOLERANCE OF THOSE OF DIFFERENT FAITHS AND BELIEFS – This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in our culturally diverse school and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity through our bespoke curriculum. We strongly believe that tolerance is gained through knowledge and understanding as this empowers the children. Our bespoke PSHCE, RE and immersive book led curriculum confronts and explores prejudice and prejudice-based bullying. The school supports the needs of children with English as a second language by actively recruiting adults who can speak these languages to translate and meet the needs of both the children and their families. Within the curriculum children study two RE topics each year. Each year group will study two RE topics. In one topic they lean about one of the 6 main religion. In the second RE topic they learn about a topic, (for example death or charity) through religion. Within their RE topic, the children will visit a place of worship. Throughout the life of the school, children will visit a church, gurdwara, a mosque and a Hindu temple, where the children learn about the religion from a religious leader. At North Mead we celebrate the religious festivals of the world religions represented by the children – Christmas, Easter, Eid, Diwali, Vasisaki, Holi and Chinese New Year. Within these celebration assemblies, year groups perform a song, poem, dance or piece of drama. Displays around school demonstrate our commitment to ensuring that all individuals are valued and treated equally within our school.
  • I – INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY – Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment for example assemblies introduce Votes for Schools discussions which children are encouraged to individually choose an opinion on. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms, they are explicitly taught how to exercise these safely, through E-Safety in computing lessons, PSHE and RE lessons. Children are given the freedom to make choices to participate in our numerous extra-curricular clubs and opportunities all of which are free of charge to all our families.
  • M – MUTUAL RESPECT – The highly positive relationships between staff and pupils are excellent examples of mutual respect. One of our Team Tactics, which influence our children’s learning behaviours and behaviour policy, is ‘Respect’. Assemblies related to what this means and how it is shown take place and the message is reinforced by adults throughout the school. Our curriculum is designed to promote respect with a diverse representation of authors, characters and themes. Events are planned for pupils to go into the community to meet with a range of people in a variety of situations include sports events and visiting places of worship.
  • P – PROTECTED CHARACTERISTICS – Through assemblies, our curriculum, behaviour system and relationships we promote the protected characteristics of: age; gender reassignment; being married or in a civil partnership; being pregnant or on maternity leave; disability; race; religion or belief; sex or sexual orientation.