Spiritual

At St Ethelbert’s the Catholic life of the school underpins and supports everything that we do. Christ is central to our school life.

In addition to RE lessons there are frequent opportunities for organised and spontaneous prayer during the school day:

• Daily collective worship in each class, including child-led collective worship
• Class prayers at key points through the day
• Prayer table in each class
• Regular year group Mass at Holy Redeemer church
• Weekly prayer club led by our Faith Ambassadors
• Faith Ambassadors lead prayers and assemblies
• Whole school masses and liturgies
• Visits to and from other faith schools to learn about other religions

Moral

• Behaviour policy is based upon Gospel values of love, tolerance, justice and mercy and emphasises the importance of ‘good choices’. The Behaviour policy can be found under the ‘Policies’ tab in Parent Info
• Consistent approach of all staff to all members of school community models high expectations regarding behaviour and conduct towards others
• Regular opportunities for class circle time allow teachers to explore any relevant issues with their class
• Pastoral Lead and Welfare and Family Support Officer work with pupils in and out of class to support appropriate behaviour choices
• Safeguarding workshops for pupils on issues such as e-safety and bullying/friendships
• Pupils debate ethical issues at their own level in topics such as History and stories in Literacy

Social

• The whole Catholic ethos of St Ethelbert’s is about developing the whole child, and helping children understand how they have an important part to contribute to society as a whole
• In Early Years, PSED is a fundamental part of the curriculum and the aim is to ensure pupils are socially ready for the more formal curriculum of Key Stage 1
• Half termly ‘enrichment weeks’ are held across the whole school to focus on the broader curriculum, with a focus on creative and performing arts and science. These give pupils opportunities to participate in workshops and team building activities with different adults
• Regular parent workshops or drop-in mornings build relationships between home and school
• We have strong links with the local parish
• Trips within the local area or further afield build a sense of community e.g. school council meeting at local school; trip to church of another denomination; community police or fire brigade visits in
• Leadership at all levels within the school: pupils may be a class monitor, a member of the school council or an elected House Captain. We have playtime peer mediators and a range of prefect roles for older children
• Pupils regularly show visitors around the school and present information in assemblies
• Year 6 organise at least one fundraising event per year e.g. Enterprise Fair or cake sale

 
Cultural

• Ours is a multi-cultural school, and we celebrate the similarities and differences between people of the world
• History and Geography lessons explore significant people and places in the world
• The half termly enrichment weeks focus on music, art and people from a range of cultural backgrounds e.g Christmas around the world
• School participation in a range of events with other Slough schools with equally diverse cohorts of pupils
• Active promotion of tolerance and acceptance in school assemblies and events

Reviewed September 2024