At Little Parndon, we have many minds but one mission: to shape futures through education.
Our vision is to empower students through equity, to acquire, demonstrate, articulate and value knowledge and skills to shape their future. To go on to participate in and contribute to the global world and practise the core values of the school: Respect, Resilience and Responsibility.
How is this achieved?
Through a comprehensive, thoroughly considered curriculum.
Through inclusivity, nurture, relationships and care.
Through support, guidance and clear direction.
Through expert instruction and delivery.
Through an unwavering dedication to our values and mission.
Through an equity approach.
Through promotion of the school’s mission, vision and values within the community.
Values are key to character development and need to not only be taught but caught and practised. Our programme of values education is highly significant from the very start of a child’s schooling. Our core values of respect, resilience and responsibility permeate all that we do. From the moment a student arrives at Little Parndon, we encourage them to live these values.
Respect
We respect everyone for who they are. We are inclusive and believe in equity as well as equality. We think highly of our school and its community and show this through our actions. We are polite and courteous at all times. We are honest and considerate, we own-up to our mistakes. We don’t take advantage of others and helping a member of our team is helping ourselves.
Responsibility
We know our role within the school. We know how to behave in all situations. We know right from wrong and know that our decisions are a choice. We know how to work independently and within groups, making decisions that benefit everyone. We are better today than we were yesterday and we leave our school better than we found it.
Resilience
We never give up. We remain positive so that we have the strength to persevere with even the most challenging tasks. We do what it takes for as long as it takes and we learn from mistakes. We are hard-working, determined and dedicated to what we do.
Key Drivers
We also focus on three key drivers:
Mastery, which is the drive to get better at things that matter;
Autonomy, or the drive to direct our own lives; and
Purpose, which is the drive to connect to a cause larger than ourselves
(Daniel H. Pink, ‘Drive' - The surprising truth about what motivates us.' 2009).
We clearly communicate our mission, vision, values and drivers throughout every day so that the whole school community know the purpose of everything that we do.
Through experiences and support, all students build the skills to make them life-long learners.
Culture
At Little Parndon, we are creating an impressive culture of success built on the foundation of our values. Students learn, are well mannered and get the support that they need. Teachers teach with skill and drive; they show an enormous amount of nurture to the children, making sure the children enjoy school. Staff and students enjoy what they do together.
We will take the best ideas from academies, schools, the independent sector and abroad. No individual element of our practice will be revolutionary. It will be the way in which ideas have been combined and embedded with rigour and simplicity that will allow us to be so strong. We don’t believe in off-the-shelf strategies or practices; there is no silver bullet. It is about being values driven, having a clear vision, being nurturing, focusing relentlessly on outcomes (not just academic) “If it doesn’t have an impact, why are we doing it?”, operating routines, doing the simple things well every day, and building strong relationships at all levels.
As Peter Drucker says, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
Working with families, and presenting young people with common expectations at home and at the school, will be the key to our success. We rely on your interest in what your child is doing each school day; on your support and encouragement for their work; and on your attendance at consultation evenings and school events. Together, we will make sure your child’s education begins successfully.
