Dear Lord,
Thank you for blessing us with our small school.
We have big hearts filled with love and laughter.
We have glorious ideas which light up the world.
We have a big picture with no frame.
Help us to treat each other with respect, kindness and compassion.
Help us to be honest and resilient in everything we do.
Let us show good friendship to each other and let everything be done in love.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Each day children and staff partake in acts of Collective Worship that are Christian in character.
We worship weekly in our beautiful church with Reverend John, as well as celebrating key festivals such as harvest, Easter and Christmas with our parents and local community.
Our Christian Values
Each half term, we focus on a different Christian Value, explicitly through our collective worship time, but also through our curriculum. Children have regular opportunities to reflect on each value and to develop an understanding of the value in action.
Friendship, Kindness, Honesty, Resilience, Respect & Compassion.
Our school’s Christian values are underpinned by the knowledge that all children are loved equally by God a belief in the need for equity for all.
Our Values
Ilsington School is situated within the Dartmoor National Park, about two miles from Haytor Rocks. Ilsington itself is a picturesque rural village and the parish is the second largest in Devon. In such a setting the children are encouraged to enjoy and respect their environment and we take every opportunity to involve them in educational activities concerning their local area.
Our village school forms an important part of the local community, and benefits from these close links, for example as regular users of the village hall, playing fields and parish church. We have a strong ethos of self-fulfilment for pupils at our school and work closely with parents to achieve this. Ilsington Primary School is a Church of England Primary School, and although Christian values are built into our ethos and teaching, all children are welcome what ever their family beliefs. At Ilsington we endeavor to provide all children with a safe and secure environment that sets high standards and encourages children to work to their potential.
The key feature of our school is the caring family atmosphere, through which we offer praise, encouragement arid support when things are going well, and forgiveness, reconciliation and guidance when mistakes are made. As well as providing a broad and balanced curriculum we encourage children to develop in many ways. We strive to nurture their talents and to equip them with the skills they will need throughout life.
As education moves forward those involved in it are constantly faced with exciting new challenges and demands, Central to all of them, however, must be the child - your child. Parents at Ilsington are invited to form a partnership with the school to support and guide their child’s learning process.
To achieve this, good communication between home and school is essential and actively encouraged. Parents are encouraged to help in school through a wide range of activities including the Friends of Ilsington School, who meet regularly and carry out many fund raising activities to provide necessary extras for the school.
We consider our school unique in providing a family atmosphere for education. You are welcome to come and visit and we look forward to welcoming you and introducing you to our children and staff.
Our British Values
We take our responsibility seriously to prepare children for life in modern Britain. We ensure that the fundamental British Values are introduced, discussed and lived out through the ethos and work of the school. All curriculum areas provide a vehicle for furthering understanding of these concepts and, in particular, our RE and PSHE lessons provide excellent opportunities to deepen and develop understanding. Children embrace these concepts with enthusiasm and demonstrate a good understanding of their application to their own lives.
The school makes considerable efforts to ensure children have exposure to a wide experience beyond their local community during which these concepts are shown. Sporting events, a range of visits and residentials are planned to ensure children’s experiences are broad, meaningful and varied. Their strong rooted values-based understanding gives them an excellent platform for embracing difference.
What are British Values?
The Government emphasises that schools are required to ensure that key ‘British Values’ are taught in all UK schools. The government set out its definition of British values in the ‘Prevent Strategy’ - values of:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.
Democracy is an integral part of school life. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council and Pupil questionnaires. The elections of House Captains and School Councillors are based solely on pupil votes. Regular meetings of the School Council ensure the reinforcement of democratic processes, the application of freedom of speech and group action to address needs and concerns. Key to this is the concept of holding others to account, including those in positions of authority and influence.
The 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 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 are regular parts of our calendar and 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 safety, through provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHE lessons.
Mutual Respect:
Part of our school ethos and behaviour policy has revolved around Values such as ‘Respect’, and pupils have been part of discussions and collective worship related to what this means and how it is shown. The school promotes respect for others and this is reiterated through our classroom rules, as well as our behaviour policy. The concept of ‘fair play’, being magnanimous in defeat and participation in activities that promote kinship and affiliation with others are actively promoted in school.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:
As a church school, collective worship is fundamentally Christian in character, but recognises that those attending may have a wide range of faiths, or none. Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity.
British History within the Curriculum:
Ilsington C of E Primary School offers a range of curriculum topics which have strong links to Britain both past and present. As a school, we encourage knowledge of current affairs that are significant to us as a nation.
Every year we have Remembrance Service and make wreaths to be laid at the war memorial. The children are also taught about Remembrance Day through our Topic Lessons.
Across all years, there is a strong focus on the work of famous British figures both past and present; these include Florence Nightingale, Winston Churchill and Queen Victoria. The children really enjoy learning about people from the past and in particular those who have had an impact on the modern world and our community.