As part of our vision, we are committed to inspiring each and every child to discover and develop their individual talents. We understand that character education and personal development is every bit as crucial to our pupils’ development as academic success.

Our GSHS core values, which are aligned in three pillars of Community, Learning and Self, are designed to actively promote and complement the five fundamental British values identified by the Department for Education:

· Democracy

· The rule of law

· Individual liberty

· Mutual respect

· Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

We teach our students the importance of being kind, compassionate and respectful to everyone that they meet, irrespective of their faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class or any other perceived differences.

Our school community is encouraged to embrace all that life in modern Britain has to offer and, therefore, we consider it essential for our staff to lead by example and exemplify and model British values.

The examples provided below – whilst by no means exhaustive – serve to demonstrate how British values permeate our curriculum, ethos and a wide range of leadership activities, along with our commitment to providing ample opportunities for our students to develop a strong moral foundation and a drive to make a positive impact in their local, wider and global community.

· Delivering an assembly programme with core ethical values and beliefs at its core, themed in conjunction with our school values.

· Having a pastoral system that ensures all individuals are recognised, valued and fosters a family ethos with students supporting each other through peer mentoring programmes

· A well-structured PSHE programme linked to DfE updates and in conjunction with the PSHE Association

· A strong Religious Studies and Ethics programme at every Key Stage.

· Effective and well-managed Student Councils enabling students to actively participate in the democratic process

· A broad and balanced curriculum which addresses many of these core values across a range of subject areas

· Having a clearly communicated and consistently applied Behaviour Policy so that students understand what is expected of them and the consequences of both meeting and failing to meet these expectations

· A rewards system that recognises positive contributions in school and celebrates success

· A Code of Conduct which is regularly referred to and communicated with students, reiterating that we are a school community built on mutual respect and understanding

· Adopting restorative approaches, where possible, to resolve any difficulties between members of our school community

· Having a rigorous commitment to student safety (for example: trips and visits policy and procedures, Safeguarding procedures, Code of Conduct and Health and Safety procedures)

· Celebration of the diverse nature of our school community through menus, themed events, the Assembly programme, the teaching of World Music and the choice of texts/resources across the curriculum

· An extra-curricular programme that provides opportunities outside the curriculum to develop individual talent and contribute to school life