First Federation Trust
Our school vision and aims have been created collaboratively, considering the views of the pupils, staff, parents and carers. Everyone was asked what skills, knowledge, characteristics, attributes, experiences and aspirations they have for the children in our school.
Vision
At Blackpool School, we offer a wide range of exciting, motivating and challenging experiences, so that our children enjoy coming to school. We provide a safe, stimulating learning environment so that all pupils develop a passion, enthusiasm and curiosity for life-long learning. We believe that it is the right of all children to be given access to the whole curriculum and to understand that there is no limit to what they can achieve, regardless of their backgrounds, abilities or interests. Our school motto, ‘Only My Best is Good Enough; Aspiring and Flourishing Together’, drives the school forward and is reflected in our approach to positive learning attitudes. From the start of their educational lives, pupils at Blackpool are encouraged to be active learners, ask questions, be reflective and take responsibility for their own learning. The caring and supportive pastoral care at Blackpool is key to building excellent relationships between all members of the school community. We prepare our pupils well for the wider world with a focus on celebrating differences with tolerance and respect for others. This, coupled with high expectations for all, supports children in becoming confident and able to release their individual talents and fulfil their potential. We promote good manners and positive behaviour and show the children that self-discipline and consideration for others and their surroundings are important qualities for life. We believe that it is crucial that a close and complementary relationship exists between home and school and we highly value our partnerships with parents and carers. Healthy minds and bodies are central to ensuring the well-being of the whole school community. Our Christian Values underpin all areas of school life and pupils have a sound understanding of Christian principles, which support them in becoming valued, caring and responsible members of society.
Aims and Values
Christian Values, which develop the children’s spiritual and moral understanding, will underpin all aspects of school life and are modelled by the whole school community.
We promote British Values in order to prepare children for their role in society, as confident, happy and tolerant citizens.
All staff and children will feel valued and respected and all successes will be celebrated.
Children will enjoy an exciting and varied theme-based, broad curriculum with a range of opportunities, including trips, visitors, residentials and learning through play, to facilitate the development of knowledge, skills and understanding.
Children will be encouraged to be independent, using imagination and resourcefulness to lead their own learning and lines of enquiry, making links with prior learning.
Pupils will be supported to persevere with problem-solving challenges, in a range of contexts throughout their school life, building resilience and an understanding of how to overcome challenging situations.
All children will have equal opportunities to succeed and their learning will match their needs regardless of background or interests.
Collaboration and teamwork will be developed in all aspects of school life so that pupils learn how to support and communicate effectively with each other and build positive relationships.
Teachers and pupils will approach teaching and learning in a creative way; enabling the development of inquisitive and flexible minds.
Awareness, and strategies for promoting good mental health are a high priority for all members of the school community and will support lifelong emotional well-being.
Physically healthy lifestyles are encouraged at every opportunity and are modelled by staff so that children understand the importance of good choices for the duration of their lives. Physical activity takes place regularly.
All children will understand how to stay safe and who to talk to when they need things.
Children will form relationships with other children in different classes and age groups through buddy systems, and we aim to create a family feel by placing all pupils in a House, where they bond with others in the school.
We work in partnership with families and find opportunities for pupils to share their learning experiences with parents and carers in open mornings and events.
We aim to use our locality as a starting point for many areas of learning, whilst ensuring pupils understand their place in the wider world.
We take a holistic view of every individual and provide a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and events to encourage children to try new experiences and develop areas of interest.
Pupils at Blackpool are encouraged to contribute their views on school life, ensuring all children have a voice eg. School Council.
Leadership roles are given to pupils, with a particular focus on Year 6, where they lead the school in an area eg. Sports Leader, Digital Leader, Librarian etc, in order to take responsibility and ownership of key areas of school life.
Curriculum Threads
In order for our children to achieve our vision and aims, we have created a set of Curriculum threads, which underpin all areas of school life, and are included in our planning for teaching and learning.
Our Curriculum Threads are: Communication and Connections, Life Long Skills, My Place in the World, Values, Creativity and Well Being.
These threads are important in providing opportunities for our pupils to develop skills for life.
The threads are intertwined into the progressive, knowledge-rich programme of study, based on the National Curriculum.
