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Believe, Achieve, Succeed
As a school community we work together to:
- Instil high aspirations where all are inspired and supported to reach their own personal challenges in a safe, caring and secure environment.
- Ensure that there is respect and inclusivity for all.
- Instil knowledge and encourage curiosity through varied and memorable learning experiences, enabling children to have a passion for lifelong learning.
- Nurture happy, confident, resilient children who have self belief and seek out new challenges and experiences with ambition and excitement.
- Equip children with confidence, knowledge, skills and understanding to become independent thinkers and learners, empowering them to make aspirational and healthy decisions in life.
Our Mission Statement is: Believe, Achieve, Succeed.
Our Values
At Woodside we are ambassadors of:
- Cooperation
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Determination
- Honesty
- Kindness
Ofsted, 2025
“Pupils develop respect for diversity. They take on a range of responsibilities, becoming school ambassadors, supporting the local food bank and improving the school environment. These opportunities help them build leadership skills, confidence and a sense of responsibility. As a result, pupils leave Woodside Primary School as confident, thoughtful and well-rounded young people.”
~ Ofsted, 2025
British Values
The government defines British Values as democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We promote these values through our mission statement, own school values, curriculum and enrichment activities.
Democracy
- Each year we elect house ambassadors through a hustlings and vote system.
- They lead our school council, encouraging children to speak up about issues that are worrying them or things that they would like improved in the school.
- We encourage volunteers to help out in the school. This includes:
- Adult helpers who hear children read.
- A reading buddy scheme where children from the upper school hear children read from the lower school.
- We also have volunteer helpers who take part in various school events and trips.
- Democracy is promoted through PSHE lessons, circle times and assemblies.
The Rule of Law
- We have high expectations about pupil conduct and this is reflected in our Behaviour Policy.
- There are rewards for exhibiting good and caring behaviour and consistent demonstration of our values is recognised through such things as house points, postcards home, headteacher awards and shining stars assembly. However, we do encourage positive behaviour as an intrinsic value rather than for reward.
- The Rule of Law is promoted through our school assemblies, circle time and PSHE.
- Children are taught how to earn trust and respect and are supported to develop a strong sense of morality; knowing right from wrong and doing the right thing even when it’s difficult. We promote the use of restorative justice so children have the opportunity to reflect on what they have done and the effect of their actions on others.
- Year 6 attend a junior citizens programme where they have talks and are provided with activities from various emergency services as well as finding out about keeping safe in public.
- We have links to a community liaison officer who works within the school not only to promote the law, but also to ensure that children have a positive outlook about the police and their role in helping all.
- Years 5 and 6 work with police on “Lives not Knives”.
Individual Liberty
- Through our school values and the PSHE programme, children are taught about personal responsibility, choices, ambition and aspiration.
- They are encouraged to take opportunities to follow their interests in sport, art, music etc through the choice of clubs that we provide.
- PSHE has specific units relating to individual liberty, including dreams and goals, celebrating differences and relationships.
- Children are taught how to keep themselves safe, including through e-safety. This is implemented through the computing curriculum.
- Pupil voice is encouraged and children’s opinions are valued. Every child is given the opportunity to talk to the school council and through weekly circle times. Pupil voice is very important and children are encouraged to speak out freely, giving them informed knowledge to craft their own opinions.
- Pupil voice is encouraged and children’s opinions are valued. Every child is given the opportunity to talk through the school council, Ivy Parliament, eco council and opportunities to talk to SLT and governors on a regular basis.
- We actively encourage all children to be individuals and through aspiration assemblies, enable reflection of this where a wide variety of people from different backgrounds are celebrated.
- We have a clear policy on protected characteristics and all are treated equally.
Mutual Respect
- We have high expectations about pupil conduct and this is reflected in our Behaviour Policy and Equality Policy.
- Through our school’s values, PHSE, RE and circle time, children are taught to respect each other, to be cooperative, collaborative and supportive. The children are also encouraged to look for similarities as well as being understanding of any differences.
- Mutual respect is also promoted through additional PSHE lessons and assemblies.
- We raise money for various charities over the school year. Some of these include Comic Relief, Children in Need and the local food bank.
Tolerance of Different Faiths and Beliefs
- We have high expectations about pupil conduct and this is reflected in our Behaviour Policy and Equality Policy.
- We follow the Hertfordshire County Council Agreed Syllabus for RE where children explore different beliefs and have the opportunity to discuss similarities and differences between the different faiths, through an enquiry based model.
- Our assemblies follow the main religious festivals of the year, taking into account the main religions as well as those followed by members of our community.
- We have close links with the local church, but also invite parents and community members of different faiths to come and talk with the children about their beliefs.
