The Walker Way
Strong Foundations. Aspirational Futures.
Our values are the heartbeat of our school community and guide our behaviours, our celebrations, and our learning journey together.
Our Values
Welcoming: A place to belong, to contribute and to flourish.
Ambitious: We think big, take risks and challenge limits.
Leading by Example: We lead with integrity, take responsibility, and inspire others.
Kind: We stand together, support each other and respect our community.
Engaged: We learn through curiosity, self-belief and purpose.
Resilient: We embrace challenge, learn from setbacks and keep striving.
“There is a strong, welcoming culture at this school. Pupils receive an exceptional offer around their wider personal development. Leaders consider the needs of pupils with SEND in every aspect of school life.”
~ Ofsted, May 2023
British Values
All schools have a duty to actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
Democracy
“Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.”
~ Aristotle
We ensure all pupils have a voice that is listened to. We have School Council Representatives, UNICEF Ambassadors, Eco Council Representatives and House and Sports Captains, as well as pupil voice, class discussions and assemblies.
We demonstrate how democracy works by actively promoting democratic processes, such as electing our School Council. In each class, children give a short speech to say why they should be elected, and their peers listen and decide who to vote for using ballot papers. During this time, and during literacy lessons, children have the opportunity to learn how to argue and defend points of view.
The Rule of Law
“Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice.”
~ Martin Luther King
The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced at Walker Primary. Each class creates a Class Charter based around the articles of the Convention of the Rights Of The Child.
Children know their rights but also understand that they need to respect the rights of others and this links to following the rule of law. Our 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.
Walker Primary is a Rights Respecting School and models rights and respect in all of its relationships between teachers, adults and pupils. This gives the children a basis for becoming good citizens.
Individual Liberty
“What light is to the eyes – what air is to the lungs – what love is to the heart, liberty is to the soul of man.”
~ Robert Green Ingersoll
Our children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school, we provide boundaries for our pupils to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and empowering learning.
Our children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely; examples of this can be seen in our e-safety and RSHE lessons. Whether it is through choice of challenge, of how they record, or of participation in our numerous extracurricular activities, our pupils are given the freedom to make choices. Choice brings future happiness.
Mutual Respect
“The only true disability is the inability to accept and respect differences.”
~ Tanya Masse
Fostering respect and inclusion at school and beyond is a key part of our vision statement and it is deeply embedded in all that we do. Our pupils know and understand that it is expected and imperative that respect is shown to everyone regardless of their gender, race, religion or disability.
Tolerance of Those With Different Faiths And Beliefs
“The highest result of education is tolerance.”
~ Helen Keller
Our school enhances pupils’ understanding of different faiths and beliefs through RE and RSHE work, welcoming visitors from other schools and communities, visiting places of worship and enjoying a depth of study during themed weeks. Beliefs, traditions and customs are studied in depth, with visitors being invited into our school to enrich and extend our children’s and our community’s understanding. Through this, our pupils gain a deep understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and of their place in our global community.