Statement of ethos and values
Our vision is that every child will succeed. We are highly aspirational for all of our children and we do whatever it takes to enable them to overcome barriers to their learning. We are committed to fair and equal access to the curriculum for all children, regardless of their starting points and taking into account any additional needs they may have. We work together to give each individual child the best possible experience of school life.
We are committed to developing lifelong learners who value and exhibit qualities such as:
- Resilience
- Aspiration
- Imagination
- Confidence
- Collaboration
We focus on providing a safe and nourishing environment where children feel accepted, included and able to take on new challenges. With this in place, we know that we can instil a love of learning in our children.
In order achieve our vision we base our practice on the following strategies:
- An engaging and diverse curriculum, which reflects our pupils’ daily lived experiences and makes full use of the local community to enrich their learning.
Giving children ownership of their own learning and a role in planning a curriculum, which reflects their interests and questions. - Assessment for learning using high quality and well respected research from Shirley Clarke and John Hattie.
- A ‘brain-friendly’ approach based on what children need for optimal cognitive functioning, including growth mindset.
- The use of ‘in the moment’ feedback and assessment for learning to move learners on.
- A robust behaviour policy based on high quality relationships and mutual respect.
Growth mindset
At Gordonbrock, we know that pupils who have a positive attitude towards their learning will make good progress and be successful.
We want all our pupils to relish challenges, embrace their mistakes as part of the learning process, value the importance of effort, respond carefully to feedback and take inspiration from others. This will help them to achieve, not only with us, but also in their future lives as adults.
Central to this attitude and approach to learning, are the theories and proven evidence of Growth Mindset. This is a term coined by psychologist Carol Dweck and her research has identified the characteristics of learners with a fixed and a growth mindset:
Encouraging Children To Become Confident And Resilient Learners
Learn, explore and grow together. This is what we embed in all of our pupils at Gordonbrock.
We know that in order to fulfill the potential of our pupils and encourage them to become confident and resilient learners we, as a team of parents and staff, need to be modelling the mindset of a learner who is not afraid of making mistakes but who thrives upon them, knowing that this is all part of the learning process. The way in which we encourage children to learn and explore is vital to their success, not only at school but at home as well.
At Gordonbrock, we consistently endeavour to challenge and develop the attitudes of all pupils and staff towards learning by considering what makes a successful learner. We regularly discuss, in class, what kind of learners we want to be and how we can positively approach challenges inside and outside the classroom.