Growth is at the heart of everything we believe in at Marfleet. We aim to give our children all of the tools they need to leave us: Happy, healthy, respectable, resilient young people ready for the world!
We are very proud to say that we place great importance on your child’s emotional health and wellbeing and see our job as educators not just to teach children to read and write but to also equip them to navigate the challenges, pressures and conflicts of life.
During your child’s time with us we will not only provide them with a first class education in all the core subjects but we will also look to educate them both socially and emotionally. We will look to provide the children with valuable life skills, and the tools to be able to overcome the challenges that they will face as they learn, grow and develop over the years. We are proud to say that we work with the children restoratively, this means that we will proactively support the children in managing any conflicts that arise, this could be a conflict in their learning it but it also may be a conflict with their peers. As a restorative school we have some core values, these are based around three themes.
Our approach to behaviour and your child’s wellbeing have those values at the core, we believe in giving children the skills and techniques to talk about their feelings and to be able to express their views on issues that are important to them. This will also be a time where the children can come and learn about issues such as tolerance, democracy and mutual respect. Being guided and supported in their development of emotional vocabulary and articulation, in an environment that is safe and empowering. Building resilience and tolerance in our young people we see as an essential life skill. Empowering the children to be able to navigate and communicate in a way that ensures they can manage the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead.
The following document is vital to our practice at Marfleet primary academy.
Alongside the behaviour chart, the above poster provides a guide for staff and pupils in restoring situations where there is conflict. It helps to move behaviour management on from the more traditional approaches of ‘Why did you do that?’, ‘Who is to blame?’ or ‘What punishment do I give?’ into a more resolution seeking ‘What has happened?, Who has been affected? and How can we begin to repair some of the harm caused?’ Pupils are praised for their honesty and often work together in ‘Solution Circles’ to seek the restoration needed, building trust and respect in each other over time.
With ‘Restorative’ approaches, pupils take more responsibility for behaviour the further they move through school. The aim is that pupil behaviours will develop, not to gain a reward or avoid punishment, but because the pupils understand the need to build a social community and to show others respect. It focuses on repairing harm rather than rule-breaking.
Every lesson counts – we believe that through expert teaching and support all children can achieve a high standard. We provide a curriculum which is both broad and balanced and which offers all children an opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding in a full range of subject areas. Our thematic, topic approach to learning fosters children’s natural curiosity for discovering and learning about the world we live in. We believe that children should have a wide range of experiences, achieving high standards in academic subjects whilst taking part in creative and sporting opportunities. Children enjoy and are motivated by learning.
Strength in Partnership – We value and promote effective collaboration at all levels, from within our school extending to the local community and to our partners across our group. Communication and the ability to work in partnership is a strength of the school. We welcome and actively encourage an open dialogue with all those involved in the life of the school.
High standards for all – We are a community celebrating success for all. Our expert staff team have high expectations of themselves as well as our pupils. In return our school provides staff with outstanding professional opportunities. We pride ourselves in the training opportunities we provide for the development of subject knowledge, teaching and leadership skills.
Belonging – To work together as a community, having a unique and valued part to play within the academy trust.
Feeling safe – our academy is safe, friendly and welcoming. We have high expectations of all our children’s behaviour. Pupils at Marfleet Primary School know that wow behaviour is expected of them. Children are praised and rewarded for trying their best, for being kind, hardworking and well behaved.
Every child matters – Each child is taught in the way that suits them best. For some children this might involve more personalised support either one to one, or in small groups or for some it could mean stretching them to keep them challenged in their thinking.
Parental partnership – we believe passionately that children, parents and staff belong to a learning community. We work really closely with parents to enable them to understand how they can best support their child in the learning journey. We provide opportunities during the year for parents to come into the School to see how lessons are taught. Parents are actively encouraged to discuss with us at any time any individual needs or concerns. We see this as a really important part of our partnership. We also have a School Leader for behaviour and wellbeing, based in our treehouse who creates and supports great links between home and school. The school also have a number of parent ambassadors that support the school and other parents within the school.
Teamwork – Together Everyone Achieves More – we know that for us , success is built from team work. Belonging to a wider academy group means we have access to an extensive range of expertise. We access this in order to contribute to improving all aspects of the experience we deliver to our children.
Opportunity – To give, and be given, the opportunities to grow, flourish and celebrate success.
Specialist teaching opportunities – As a school we believe that children deserve high quality teaching from staff equipped with specialist training. As such we have specialist teaching in Music and PE and offer our staff a range of CPD opportunities to ensure they are equipped in delivering a high quality curriculum to all.
Wrap around care – For those families who need to access extended care facilities, we do offer a breakfast club from 8.00am every morning – the entrance in free and children just pay for what they have eaten. We also offer an extensive range of extra-curricular and lunch time clubs for children to enjoy.
Respect – Building positive relationships is at the heart of all we do. We expect all adults and pupils within the school to respect each other and act with integrity. We believe that building a firm future involves trust and honesty at all levels. We celebrate achievement and through honest discourse, reflect on aspects to improve. We respect individual differences at school and personal levels.
