Our values underpin life at Greswold. The six core values, chosen in 2014, are belonging, respect, independence, kindness, curiosity and success. These are often shortened to BRICKS to help the children to remember them. It is apt that bricks are solid building blocks, reflecting that we feel that these values are important building blocks for learning together as a community.

Each half term we have a focus on a different value and these are taught about through assemblies and lessons in an age-appropriate way.

We want children to feel they belong here at Greswold. Our school uniform is one key aspect of making children feel part of our community and we encourage children to take pride in their uniform and look smart. The sense of belonging is fostered through assemblies and children from Year 1 become part of our four school houses, earning house points by their work and behaviour. Children are encouraged to look after their school environment. As children move into Key Stage 1 and 2 there are opportunities for them to represent Greswold in competitive sporting events or with other activities such as maths quizzes.

Keep Calm and Be Smart

How can children demonstrate the value of Belonging?

• Looking smart

• Making ‘smart’ choices about their behaviour and learning

• Looking after our school – inside and out

• Taking pride in their learning

• Looking after themselves and others

• Making everyone in our school feel welcome

• Being in the right place at the right time

• Knowing where or who to go to for help

Respect is such an important part of our school and we encourage children to use good manners from their first day at Greswold. From the time they start in Foundation Key Stage, children are encouraged to take turns, share resources and to listen to each other. As they move through school we ensure the children have respect for all of the adults they encounter at Greswold. It is also important that they also respect their peers and children value other people’s opinions. This value is closely linked to kindness. Children are also expected to show respect for the school environment and resources, for example picking items up that have fallen onto the floor.

How can children demonstrate the value of Respect?

• Remembering manners – ‘Please’, ‘Thank you’ etc.
• Treating people how they would like to be treated
• Listening to others – adults and children
• Being honest
• Following instructions
• Looking after belongings, both inside and outside the classroom
• Looking after our school, both inside and outside
• Keeping the classroom and cloakroom tidy
• Remember that we may all be different but we are all equal
• Follow the Greswold 5 a day

Being independent is a key life skill. When children start in Nursery they can show independence with how they choose their activities and by tidying up when they finish. They can also hang their coat on their peg and put their own coat on. In Reception children can get themselves changed for PE and make choices about which meal to have at lunchtime. Throughout FKS we encourage the children to take a lead in their learning and be independent with what and how they choose to learn. These skills of independence are important as the children mature so they can get themselves ‘unstuck’ when they find something challenging and persevere to solve problems. Children also get to challenge themselves though our Chilli Challenge. Work is set as mild, spicy, hot or flamin' hot allowing children to decide which level they want to try. Throughout Key Stage 1 and 2, children are progressively given more ownership over their learning and the way they choose to present a piece of work. 

Keep Calm and Go For It

How can children demonstrate the value of Independence?

• Listening carefully so that they understand the task
• Having a positive attitude towards learning
• Taking responsibility for their actions
• Realising that it may be hard at first but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible!
• Being resilient and persevering
• Using resources in the classroom to solve problems e.g. learning walls, practical resources in Maths, word banks etc.
• Thinking about things that they have already done which can help solve today's problem
• Breaking tasks down into smaller tasks
• Trying to solve their own problems first without relying on the teacher straight away

Learning is about being curious and finding things out. We encourage children to ask questions and to find out about topics that interest them. In the Foundation Key Stage a large focus is placed on child-initiated learning where the pupils are the key to what topics are covered in class. We want our pupils to be genuinely excited by and engaged with learning. Staff aim to teach lessons that engage the children and encourage their class to ask questions to find out more. We are also trying to make use of our outdoor space so children can find out more about the natural world just outside their window. Being curious is important in subjects such as Science in which children are encouraged to make predictions and to find things out. This idea of trying something to find out the results is also key to subjects like D&T and Computing where trial and error are important parts of learning. 

Keep Calm and Discover

How can children demonstrate the value of curiosity?

• Keeping an open mind
• Not taking things for granted
• Asking thoughtful questions
• Thinking carefully about learning
• Admitting when they don’t know or understand something
• Trying something new
• Not labelling things as ‘boring’ – you get out of things what you put into them
• Seeing learning as something fun

The world would be a better place if everyone was kind to each other and at Greswold we encourage our pupils to show kindness to each other. Acts of kindness are noticed and celebrated and all staff encourage children to make the correct choices with their behaviour and act kindly to each other. Each year we celebrate 'Kindness Week' and think about kindness in lots of different ways. Additionally, in PSD lessons we focus on the impact of unkind behaviour and how this can make other people feel.  

How can children demonstrate the value of kindness?

• Smiling!
• Saying please and thank you – remembering their manners
• Making everyone in our school feel welcome
• Helping someone in need
• Respecting people for who they are
• Celebrating our similarities and our differences
• Looking after themselves and others
• Listening to the person who is speaking

Everyone likes to be successful and feel that they have achieved something positive. We encourage our pupils to take pride in their achievements and feel proud of their progress with learning. Our staff recognise and celebrate our pupils' achievements in a variety of ways including house points and certificates.

How can children demonstrate the value of success?

Having a Growth Mindset
Being resilient
Believing in themselves
Having a go!
Persevering
Setting themselves targets and working to achieve them
Putting effort into their learning
Encouraging and helping others
Realising that goals can be achieved through lots of small steps which should be celebrated