RIGHTS RESPECTING & VALUES
Bell Farm School has participated in the Rights Respecting School Award since 2005. This initiative underpins the school’s aims to provide a values led curriculum. The children learn about their own responsibilities through learning about their own rights and the rights of others, as set out by the UnitedNations Convention Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
The UNCRC provides the foundation for our class charters which are written at the beginning of each school year when children join their new class. A class charter is a set of rights, actions and responsibilities agreed by all the children and all staff in each class. This provides a strong and clear framework for everybody to base their behaviour and relationships upon.
The UNCRC provides a clear set of values. The articles, well supported by a programme of 22 monthly values, have been developed with the full involvement of our school community, and are explicitly upheld by both children and staff.
The UNCRC and Rights Respecting Schools Award provides a coherent values-led framework from which our children learn to make good decisions about their attitudes to learning, the forming of positive relationships, their entitlements to be safe, to participate and have their opinions heard. Children learn about their responsibilities to their own school community, the local community and their place as global citizens.
What have been the main benefits for the children of Bell Farm School?
- Behaviour and relationships are good.
- The children use the language of RRSA when solving problems with their behaviour and relationships.
- Children articulate positive attitudes about our diverse society.
- Children are confident to express opinions and do so in a respectful way.
- Children understand their place in our communities and their role as global citizens.
- It has enhanced the equality of learning and teaching by providing purposeful connections within the planned curriculum.
- It has successfully supported the governors and staff with their commitment to meeting the needs of ‘the whole child’.
UNICEF says “The RRSA provides a coherent values framework which enhances school leadership. It shapes the ethos of the school and unifies what can often be seen as a range of disparate educational initiatives and government priorities in all UK jurisdictions, the global dimension, SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning), sustainable development, and community cohesion.
Pupils develop a stronger sense of the need to act for global justice.
The universality of the UNCRC provides a clear link between building up their rights respecting school and the need for children’s rights to be realised everywhere.”
Values at Bell Farm
Bell Farm is a Values-led school following a planned programme of 22 values over a 2 year cycle. These values, and the related UNCRC articles, are displayed around our school and used as a focus in our assemblies. Alongside our Rights Respecting agenda, they support our children in making good choices both in their learning and around our school throughout the day.
Our values underpin everything at our school, from the way we talk to children right through to the way we shape the ethos of our school.
Our 22 Values:
| September 2021 Respect | September 2022 Belonging |
| October 2021 Happiness | October 2022 Friendship |
| November 2021 Honesty | November 2022 Freedom |
| December 2021 Love & Humility | December 2022 Peace |
| January 2022 Hope | January 2023 Honesty |
| February 2022 Trust | February 2023 Simplicity |
| March 2022 Thoughtfulness | March 2023 Understanding |
| April 2022 Appreciation | April 2023 Care and Compassion |
| May 2022 Quality | May 2023 Confidence |
| June 2022 Fairness | June 2023 Co-operation |
| July 2022 Courage | July 2023 Responsibility |