Vision, Values and Aims

Our Vision 

A school community, where all are inspired to achieve.

Together we believe, persevere and succeed.

Buckingham Primary School was awarded a “Good” judgement by Ofsted in June 2019 in all categories. We will strive for continuous improvements against our Ofsted development targets and aim to be rated “Outstanding” within the following five years.

Our Mission Statement

Buckingham Primary School encourages belief by:

• Providing children with the very best education to ensure that each child develops a lasting love of learning and sense of curiosity in the world around them.
• Providing a welcoming, safe, happy school where everyone is respected and listened to; a school where we take pride in ourselves and our achievements, enabling children to become confident and successful learners.
• Being a partner in the education of our pupils and being committed to working in partnership with our parents/carers and wider community. 
• Fostering a welcoming, safe, organised environment where all children, families and all other members of our school community are treated with tolerance, kindness and respect.

Buckingham Primary School encourages perseverance by:

• Building upon individual strengths and talents.
• Developing children’s self-respect and pride in themselves so that both achievement and perseverance are recognised and celebrated.
• Valuing independence, developing a deeper level of learning and providing a curriculum which enables our pupils to become active citizens of the future.
• Striving to be an integral part of our local community by building and joining communities locally and beyond.

Buckingham Primary School enables everyone to succeed by:

• Delivering excellent education by providing a stimulating, rich and relevant curriculum which balances the rigorous teaching of core skills and knowledge with creative and imaginative opportunities.
• Instilling a love of learning inspired by quality teaching.
• Becoming a centre for excellent teachers, where quality leadership is extended to professionals in other schools and where the staff are committed to their own learning journey and the sharing of quality practice.
• Ensuring that every member of staff (teaching, support and administrative) is fully aware of their role in contributing to the continuing improvements in the performance of the school and to be committed to contributing personally to those improvements.

Our School Aims

1. Pupils’ Progress - achievement and standards	We will ensure that the school:  Always strives for the highest standards of achievement Teaches all lessons to a good or better standard Places a clear emphasis on reading, writing and mathematics Prepares children for the next stage of their education Challenges and motivates our children to achieve
2. Pupils’ personal development and well being	We will ensure that the children:  Feel happy and safe in school Display high standards of behaviour Develop independence in their learning Promote respect for themselves, others and the environment Develop enquiring minds and a spirit of curiosity
3. Resource Management - quality of provision	We will ensure that the school:  Achieves value for money in use of funds to achieve its aims Makes the most of the local environment in children’s learning Becomes a recognised school for excellent teachers Provides support and training for other professionals
4. Leadership & Management	We will ensure that the school:  Is recognised for excellence in leadership and management Creates leaders at all levels Communicates effectively with all stakeholders Embraces technology to equip our children with skills for their future Encourages staff to be committed to their own learning journey and the sharing of quality practice
5. Overall Effectiveness	We will ensure that the school:  Upholds a strong belief in nurturing every child Places a strong emphasis on the fostering of resilience Endeavours to create mature life-long learners Provides memorable and enjoyable learning experiences Encourages children, staff, parents/carers and the local community to work together as a team

Promoting British Values

The DfE have reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”

The Government originally set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy and these values were most recently reiterated in 2023: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance/prevent-duty-guidance-for-england-and-wales-accessible

At Buckingham, these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy 

• School Council

We have a School Council, with membership from Year Two to Year Six, which meets regularly to discuss and plan projects that will improve the school and be of benefit to its pupils.

Prospective School Council members must ‘pitch’ their ideas to their class as they are democratically elected into office by their peers. 

Our School Council has been involved in fund-raising events to support world charities and has also supported school staff on occasions such as Safer Internet Day when they deliver age-appropriate assemblies to pupils so that every child receives advice about how to use the internet safely. 

Members of the School Council were delighted to welcome our local MP Munira Wilson into school. They were able to ask her a range of interesting questions and they told her how they were democratically elected in to their position, just as she was. 

Annually our School Council continue to represent the school at key external local events, for example the Remembrance Day Ceremony at nearby Hanworth War Memorial.

• Pupil Parliament

The school participates fully in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Pupil Parliament initiative whereby Year Six pupils ‘pitch’ for election by their year group as Pupil Parliament representatives. Each year the newly-elected girl and boy spend a day at York House in Twickenham competing against the other Richmond schools in their bid to become the Pupil Mayor and Pupil Deputy Mayor of Richmond-upon-Thames.

• Curriculum

Through our curriculum and our assemblies children are taught about, and are encouraged to respect, public institutions and services. 

• Pupil Voice Questionnaire

Pupils are asked to complete a questionnaire towards the end of each academic year so that their views and perceptions about various aspects of school can be recorded and analysed and where appropriate, acted upon.

• Pupil Conferencing

Pupils are selected at random for pupil conferencing meetings with members of the senior leadership team, subject leaders and visitors to the school including our School Improvement Partner - (SIP). Their views are sought on specific issues generally connected with teaching and learning. Representatives from all year groups from Reception to Year Six are regularly asked during Phase Reviews about their perception of their learning in English, Maths, Science and the wider curriculum. 

• Uniformed Organisations

The school is very proud that some of its pupils choose to attend a variety of uniformed organisations in the local area such as Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, Rainbow Brownies, Brownies, Girl Guides and the Sea Scouts. Pupils are invited to wear their uniforms to school with pride on the annual Thinking Day and also on Remembrance Day. 

 The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school, or the country, is consistently reinforced at Buckingham Primary School. 

Pupils are taught from an early age about the expectations of the school. This is usually accomplished through the creation of age-appropriate Class Rules that are displayed within each classroom. 

Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind rules and laws; that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. Visits from authorities such as the Community Police and local Fire Officer help to reinforce these important messages.

Individual Liberty

At Buckingham, we provide an empowering education within a safe and supportive environment. We educate and we also provide boundaries for our pupils. As a result, they are in a position to make informed choices.

Pupils are encouraged to know, to understand and to exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to do this safely, for example through our PSHE and RSE curriculum and through focused work on E Safety.

Buckingham has a robust anti-bullying policy in place and this is displayed within each classroom. It is agreed to by all class members at the beginning of each new academic year.

A clear behaviour policy is also in place, together with guidelines detailing the strategies and the hierarchy of response should a misdemeanour occur.

The school has a full range of safety and equality-related policies that run effectively to maintain our safeguarding standards, which we view to be of paramount importance.

Mutual Respect 

Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. From the earliest age, our pupils learn that their behaviour can have an effect on their own rights and well-being and those of others. All members of the school community, whether they are an adult or a child, are expected to treat each other with respect.

Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs 

Buckingham provides a variety of opportunities for pupils to visit places of worship as well as those of cultural interest. We also actively encourage visitors from a range of communities, cultures and organisations into our school. 

Diwali and Chinese New Year are highlighted in our school calendar and both of these occasions attract many families into the school to share the traditions and customs associated with these important festivals. Other significant events such as Eid are celebrated at linked assemblies when pupils are invited to wear their celebratory traditional costume. 

The high percentage of ‘English as a Second Language’ pupils within the school and the richness and diversity that this provides is regularly and overtly celebrated. Parents and Carers are warmly welcomed into school to demonstrate skills and languages from a great variety of countries from around the world.

The school supports local charities such as Shooting Star Chase, a nearby children’s hospice as well as our local church, All Saints’, Hampton. We also support national charities, for example Save the Children and Children in Need. Our annual Staff Charity fund-raising days donate proceeds to Breast Cancer charities and at Christmas-time the staff contribute to Shelter or to our local charity for the homeless, SPEAR.