The vision of Hope Community School, Sidcup is based on the following values:
• Adventure
• Openness
• Creativity
• Excellence
Underpinned by a Christian ethos
Adventure
Adventure is a central part of the curriculum we offer at school. The curriculum encourages children to be adventurous and innovative in their learning. Our curriculum encourages children to be adventurous risk takers – being resilient when faced with challenge and never giving up. By being adventurous, we develop confidence and self-esteem in all of our pupils, ready for the 21st Century world. Regular educational visits locally and further afield develop widen the children’s understanding of the world around them in a meaningful context which extends their learning.
Creativity
Our curriculum offers all pupils opportunity to develop the skills required to be creative learners and nurtures the development of each child’s unique creativity within. Curriculum opportunities encourage children to make independent choices and connections in their learning for example looking back in history to better understand the present and future. We want children to understand that learning can take place not just within the walls of the classroom but outdoors in our community too.
Excellence
Our curriculum is driven by aiming for excellence and setting ourselves and our children high aspirations from the beginning of their learning journey. It offers opportunities for children to explore areas of interest and set achievable goals for long term success by exposing them to the great artists, musicians and sports people of the present and the past. Our curriculum offers the opportunity for children to interact with positive role models to enable them to build long term aspirations for themselves which go beyond the primary years. Our curriculum is designed to make the world an accessible place that children can explore. We want our curriculum to reflect that our own dreams and goals can be achieved through setting high expectations; demonstrating how we can achieve these through positive steps.
Openness
We want for all children at Hope Community school to access not just a broad and balanced curriculum but a diverse one which nurtures empathy and openness to the world around us. We want children in our community to celebrate the similarities and differences between themselves and others across the world – challenging stereotypes they might be exposed to. We want our curriculum to foster opportunities for children to appreciate, respect and celebrate the views, cultures, religions of others. Through carefully selected texts and learning opportunities we aim for our learners to be aware of what is happening around the world and the part they have to play it in. Our curriculum embraces a wide range of learning opportunities, with strong cross-curricular and community links, through effective local businesses partnerships.
Christian Ethos
We are registered as a school of religious designation within the Christian faith.
Our Christian ethos underpins the culture of our school. We aim to create space for children and the school community to explore their own personal beliefs and faith in a safe place where they can ask the big questions of life. We present a Christian viewpoint, whilst allowing children the freedom to explore, question and seek answers for themselves. We ensure children of all faiths and no faith feel included and valued and learn about all cultures, faiths and religions.
We have selected forty Christian values, many of which are shared by people of all faiths and no faith that are taught on a rolling two-year programme. These values seek to build character and draw out the full human potential of each child. The school is a community of practise that provides experiences in which the whole school community can consider and reflect on these values and translate this reflection into action. We do this at Hope in three main ways: by unpacking our values in our daily Collectives (assemblies), by exploring them in our class time through reflective activities and by communicating the values to parents and encouraging discussion and positive reinforcement at home. Our Christian ethos is further enhanced through our Christian prayer room and the provision of pastoral support through chaplaincy.