Vision, Ethos & Values
Vision
At Highbury we work towards a very simple but important aim that during their time at school every child will shine. We want every child who attends our school to have the skills and confidence they need to have a valued voice, to keep themselves safe from harm, to make positive choices and to understand their worth and the contribution they can make to the world.
We want all of our children to feel part of a proud community of pupils, staff and parents who advocate for one another and break down barriers and misconceptions.
We do not limit our influence on the Highbury community, and we aim to share our expertise and experiences with other practitioners and partners across Calderdale in order to ensure that the Highbury vision becomes a shared one.
Ethos & Values
At Highbury school we recognise, respect, value and celebrate the uniqueness of all children and the contribution of the wider community in the successful education of our children. We believe that authentic inclusion is successful when children are present, participate and achieve.
Present
By placing an emphasis on attendance and working with parents and carers to ensure children attend school when they can, we achieve an average of 93% attendance across the year. Our approach is flexible and supportive as we appreciate and recognise that where children have complex medical conditions this can impact on their attendance in school. Our flexible approach means that we are able to work with families to offer education at home during prolonged periods of absence. We ensure that families understand the purpose of their child’s education by providing regular feedback on progress and information on how the curriculum operates for each child in school. The impact is that families make every effort to prioritise school attendance.
Participate
All of our classes are organised on a needs and ability led basis in order to ensure that the curriculum being taught is appropriate for every child and allows all children to be active participants in their learning. We employ specialist dance, music and swimming teachers to offer enrichment opportunities from highly skilled and specialist staff. Our school environment is adapted so that every child can access every area and activity and we have designed areas such as the playground and garden school to provide opportunities to access experiences which are difficult for some children out in the community.
Achieve
It is our aim that every child that leaves Highbury will leave with confidence and an understanding of the contribution they can make in the world having been supported to achieve their potential. We know that children achieve when they are happy and have good self- esteem and so we celebrate every child’s success; every milestone they reach and every step of progress that they make. Independence is valued and actively taught, and children and families recognise the importance of children being as self-reliant as possible.
Our aims are achieved by working within an atmosphere of respect and understanding in partnership with parents, carers, Governors, the Local Authority, health and care agencies and specialist staff and consultants. We take our lead from the children and their needs and welcome and respond to feedback.
School improvement is a continuous and shared responsibility driven by the desire to deliver an outstanding service of high-quality education and care for every child and their family.