Ethos

Work Hard, Be Kind

We develop commitment, independence and courtesy in all of our students. We expect the very highest standards and in return we value and respect student ideas and opinions.

We are relentless in the pursuit of academic excellence for every student.

We insist on the highest standards of behaviour at all times.

We care deeply about our students and expect them to work hard and be kind.

We encourage staff to be creative, independent and ambitious. We expect them to challenge and inspire our students, providing high quality learning experiences that motivate students to be the very best they can. High standards and academic rigour underpin our daily work.

We promote the development of leadership skills and offer a range of opportunities for students to take an active role in improving their school.

We believe that a wide-range of enrichment opportunities promote independent learning. Students are expected to learn beyond the classroom and to develop the skills and attributes they need to lead full and successful lives.

What is Crew?

Crew is both a culture and a structure that will be used as a vehicle to ensure our GREAT values permeate throughout every aspect of our academy community.

Crew is about taking responsibility for our actions and recognising the impact they have on others.

Crew is about supporting one another to be the best version of ourselves.

Crew is about making the boat go faster. There can be no passengers on our boat.

Our GREAT Crew Culture

Our GREAT values stem from the fundamental British Values and these permeate through our academy and are part of everything we do. Our values form part of our common language when celebrating achievements and progress. Our values are referred to and a part of our common language when we challenge students to abide by our unwavering high expectations and it is also a part of our common language as we nurture young people through their challenges and triumphs too.

Onboarding Programme

Through explicit activity during Crew time and Full Crew sessions will secure the embedding of our core values throughout our academy to ensure that our entire academy community fully understand and live out our values. Throughout the year there will be specific GREAT sessions that are explicitly taught and designed to reinforce and continually on-board our students about the importance of being part of crew.

Crew Personal Development Programme

Our Crew Personal Development Programme has been intelligently planned to compliment and build upon our Personal Development Curriculum, National themes and contemporary issues in society. The aim of this programme is to support character and personal development has been expertly designed to ensure that our core GREAT values permeate through everything we do.

Mini Crew — ‘Circle up’

Mini Crew is a vehicle within crew time where crew leaders and crew members debate, reflect, celebrate and challenge one another’s ideas. The focus is provided from our intelligently planned Crew Personal Development Programme which builds upon and compliments key themes from our Personal Development framework.

Full Crew

Full Crew refers to what we formally knew as assembly. Full Crew is a structure where the entire year group gather to focus on our Crew Personal Development Programme which has been intelligently planned to draw out key themes from our Personal Development framework and to support cultural capital and character development.

Celebrating GREAT Success

GREAT Celebration weeks will focus on rewarding our students that exhibit our GREAT values and who are crew and not passengers and are set on ‘making the boat go faster’. A GREAT Celebration is planned into each half term where all crew members will participate in various activities designed to reinforce our values, our crew ethos and provide opportunities for crew members to reflect and celebrate achievements through the term. Students are also rewarded each lesson through Great Behaviour points. The ultimate prize is being recognised as a GREAT Star student in lesson for outstanding contribution to learning. Students are also rewarded weekly through our GREAT Postcards and our popular Freddo Friday!

ALT and Attendance are also celebrated through our GREAT Commendation letters, alongside our GREAT auctions where students can bid with their positive behaviour points for vouchers and experiences.

Staff as Crew Members

Our weekly briefings and bulletin with staff are an avenue to regularly reinforce and role model our GREAT values and common language. ‘Acknowledgements and appreciations’ will be a key foci for securing this. As adults we will demonstrate the behaviours that we expect to see in our children and will support one another to be the best versions of ourselves.