Oldbury Wells School – Ethos, Vision and Values

Our Vision

We are a dynamic, forward-looking school with a shared vision to ‘inspire education’ and ‘inspire lives'.

Our School is alive with learning, ensuring everyone continually improves to be the best they can be while developing individual interests and talents.

We aim for all our young people to further gain in confidence and ASPIRE to make the best progress in all they do within a safe, caring and supportive environment. Our school has high expectations and high levels of achievement and ensures ENJOYMENT is at the heart of all our work.

We provide high quality experiences through an exciting curriculum and extensive wider opportunities, ensuring our school is a great place to be and a great place to learn.

We are relentless in celebrating everyone’s ACHIEVEMENT in all aspects of their academic and personal development, ensuring each student is fully prepared to move forward when taking their place in today’s diverse society.

We value our traditions and encourage our students to have the highest expectations of themselves and others; our dedicated staff work in support of every individual to help them achieve their ambitions.

Our Ethos is built around three core principles - ASPIRE, ENJOY, ACHIEVE, alongside ensuring students follow the Oldbury Wells Way in which all students are READY, RESPECTFUL and SAFE. We aim for all those within our community to always promote these ways of working. At the heart of our work is the promotion of our Character Virtues:

1. Resilience – Being independent and overcoming difficulties faced.
2. Courage – Being brave and doing things that may seem scary and outside of your comfort zone.
3. Honesty – Being truthful to yourself and others.
4. Confidence – Believing in yourself and others, knowing your strengths and learning from your weaknesses and mistakes to better yourself.
5. Independence – The ability to have your own thoughts and feelings, to influence and resolve things for yourself.
6. Empathy – Understanding and caring for the feelings of others.
7. Tolerance & Respect for others – To understand that everyone is different, accepting this and learning from each other.

Our Values

ASPIRE

Oldbury Wells has caring and professional staff who work within a well-designed and effective welfare and guidance system. We develop self responsibility and a concern for others in our

students. This is essential for good behaviour and a SAFE, secure environment. It matters to us that all students succeed at school and are READY to learn; we stretch our most Able and

Talented students and have strong systems of supporting students with specific needs, including Special Educational Needs. We insist on high expectations within a culture of RESPECT and challenge both students and staff within their daily work. We know what our individual students are capable of and academically use assessments very carefully by checking that every student is making great progress in their studies, whatever their starting point. We ensure students ASPIRE to do their very best.

ENJOY

Every student’s education and development matters to us. Our staff are passionate about students’ learning. We ensure a rounded, successful education for every individual. We are sensitive to each young person’s needs, encouraging their talents and developing their skills to flourish. At Oldbury Wells, success comes from making every school experience ENJOYABLE and appropriate; our curriculum is based on intelligent and simple principles which are to:

• Build our curriculum on what students have already achieved in primary school;

• Teach subjects and courses that suit students’ needs and that they enjoy – these are mostly academic, supported with some vocational;

• Prepare and support students fully for examinations in Year 11 and beyond;

• Stretch and challenge ALL students, whatever their academic ability;

• Focus our curriculum on useful and valuable qualifications for university and the world of work;

• Pick the right courses for securing successful outcomes;

• Enrich our curriculum through relevant and exciting extra-curricular experience;

• Always seek opportunities to bring learning alive outside of the classroom to enrich the students’ learning experiences.

ACHIEVE

Students at all levels, with a wide range of interests and talents, ACHIEVE well. Our results are consistently strong, showing good value added, ensuring all students make great progress and are able to move onto their chosen future pathway. Achievement continues to rise, allowing students to go on and study courses like medicine, attending top universities such as Cambridge and Imperial.

How we Promote our Vision & Values

Oldbury Wells School... A great place to be, a great place to learn!

• We secure personal success and positive futures for our students; we help guide and support individuals to reach their full potential and achieve their goals by meeting the needs of all students.
• We empower our students through effective education, life skills and personal development so that they can fulfil a valued and rewarding place in society.
• We 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.
• We provide an education that is first class, rounded and modern; providing rich, challenging and enjoyable opportunities and experience, through a commitment to use the best resources which create real opportunities.
• We foster high aspirations, develop our student’s potential and nurture their drive for success to be ambitious and determined learners and who take pride in everything they do, whilst challenging and supporting them to be their best and promoting the acquisition of life skills and a desire to learn.
• We maintain a school environment where everyone feels valued, safe, secure and happy to be at school.
• We challenge our students to work hard and be actively involved in their learning with open minds and determination to succeed. We challenge our teachers to create engaging and enjoyable classes, where a love of learning and imaginations are stimulated.
• We share a commitment of purpose and pride in our school; we work together as a team with a friendly, caring ethos and through this partnership recognising and respecting all individuals. We value, promote and celebrate everyone’s progress and effort.
• We value our teachers as inspiring and forward looking; we recognise that they provide a stimulating environment and demonstrate a passion for learning.
• We recognise our students as keen to learn and friendly, with unique and open minds; we help cultivate their aspirations and secure their commitment to learning.
• We have a dedicated, motivated and hardworking team who are great role models. They show our students how to strive to be their best, encouraging positive relationships between all partners in the school community.