“St. Michael’s Church of England School, established upon Christian foundations and living out the Christian faith, is committed to providing every child with an excellent education.”

Character development is strong and we go above and beyond...

At St. Michael’s CE School our intent is to provide for the personal development of all pupils through high quality enrichment opportunities through enhanced learning. Ofsted defines character development as a set of positive personal traits, dispositions and virtues that informs pupils, motivates and guides their conduct so that they reflect wisely, learn eagerly, behave with integrity and cooperate consistently well with others. As a school community we work tirelessly to fulfil this and develop the character and qualities of the young children in our care to become the young and confident adults of the future.

As a result of this definition, at St. Michael’s we will develop our pupils so that they become:

• Responsible, respectful and active young citizens who are able to play their part and become actively involved in public life as young adults;

• Pupils’ who have a clear and well embedded understanding of the fundamental British values of democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law and mutual respect and tolerance;

• Pupils’ who have confidence, resilience and knowledge so that they can keep themselves mentally healthy;

• Pupils’ who have a clear understanding of how to keep physically healthy, eat healthily and maintain an active lifestyle, including giving ample opportunities for pupils to be active during the school day and through extra-curricular activities;

• Pupils’ who have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships through appropriate relationships and sex education.

As a school we will promote across all ages of our school:

• Equality of opportunity so that all pupils in our care can thrive and flourish together, understanding that difference is a positive, not a negative, and that individual characteristics make people unique;

• An inclusive environment that meets the needs of all pupils, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

As a school we will enable:

• Our pupils to recognise online and offline risks to their wellbeing – for example, risks from criminal and sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, substance misuse, gang activity, radicalisation and extremism – and making them aware of the support available to them;

• Our pupils recognise the dangers of inappropriate use of mobile technology and social media.

Furthermore, as a school we will support the pupils in our care:

• For the next phase of education, training or employment so that pupils are equipped to make the transition successfully and continue to flourish and develop from young children into the young adults of the future.

We firmly believe that all pupils deserve to have a range of opportunities before they are grown up which is why staff go above and beyond with their time and commitment and also put so much thought into experiences that pupils will be able to access in their time with us.

We provide opportunities that all pupils will be able to go for walks and enjoy the mental and physical health aspects of this but also the geographical and scientific learning that can come from walking around locally and also further afield in our capital city, London, visiting the amazing museums, art galleries and places of historical and cultural interest.

We want all pupils to have had the chance to attend a PGL residential visit to develop independence and a love of the outdoors and to challenge themselves.

We think that all children benefit from playing an instrument and having a love of singing and performing as well as enjoying listening to a variety of music types.

We also recognise that it is important to us that all pupils develop a respect for others, learn about the British Values and their importance in our everyday lives as both children, young teenagers and as adults and show the respect for the views and beliefs of others with whom we live and work with.

We therefore have different 'pupil voice avenues' where pupils learn to listen to the views of others and recognise that we may not all agree, but that we must get along, show respect and have a clear understanding of consent, what is right and what is wrong. Examples of this is through:

• Our democratically elected School Council,

• Our volunteer Pupil Prayer Group,

• Our Junior Librarians (applications and interviews take place),

• Playground Champions & Well Being buddies (Volunteers and trained)

Respect for oneself is a huge focus for us as a school and we actively encourage mental and physical fitness in a variety of ways in and beyond the curriculum and we ask that staff are good role-models for children in this. All children are able to participate in sports beyond school through our extra curricular sports clubs and and Sports competition events.

Mostly, pupils have to understand why coming to school matters, how every day counts and is part of their overall development towards the next stage of their educational journey. We ensure that all pupils learn about careers and how their learning may support them in the future and we welcome various visitors to speak about careers and also visits to places of work to inspire children for their future and part of their character development.

Please see our Enhanced Opportunities overview by clicking here, Our Curriculum Offer, which gives a flavour of how our children are provided with opportunities to enrich them beyond school lessons.

• Enhanced Opportunities Overview at St. Michael's

• We also arrange a variety of school trips and workshops that further enhance our curriculum, please find information for Trips and Workshops

• We also arrange annual 1st Aid training for all of the pupils at an age appropriate level, building on their knowledge and understanding year on year. Please refer to the overview on the 1st Aid tab of our school website: Annual 1st Aid for Pupils