CHS Monthly Values
In addition to the Coleshill Heath Code and our four school values, we encourage our pupils to think about a different value every month of the school year. Click through the presentation below to see all of our monthly school values.
Our School Parliament have chosen the focus value for September: ‘Spirituality’.
What is ‘Spirituality’? It is very difficult to put into words what ‘spirituality’ actually is because it is a very personal experience. It differs from person to person, and often spirituality changes within people during their lifetime. Spirituality is not the same as having a religion or faith; a person can be spiritual without having a particular faith.
Spirituality is not something we can see; it is something we feel inside ourselves. It is about awe and wonder, asking questions, inspiration and being aware of something ‘bigger’ outside of ourselves.
The language we use to define spirituality is not especially child-friendly, so when talking to children about it we will refer to:
- A sense of awe and wonder
- Care for nature and living things
- Wanting to love and to be loved by people
- Being a part of the world
Our Values assembly this month and discussions in class will explore what spirituality is, why it is important and how it can be developed with self-control and mindfulness.
Our School Parliament have chosen the focus value ‘Hope’ for October.
What is ‘hope’? Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.
Hope is one of the most important values that children can develop. Children who understand the value of hope will be less likely to lose faith or give up. When the going gets tough, they won’t allow themselves to be overcome by discouragement.
Children who have hope are happier and more satisfied with life. In fact, they even do better at school and maintain better social relationships.
On the other hand, children who are lacking in this value are less likely to meet their goals. They may have poorer relationships and feel powerless.
Children who are hopeful are those who believe they can find ways to meet their objectives.
Our Values assembly this month and discussions in class will explore what hope is, why it is important, how we can develop resilience and perseverance as well as ways of coping with frustration and disappointment.
The Book of Hopes
Our School Parliament has chosen the focus value ‘selflessness’ for November.
What is ‘selflessness?’ Selflessness is a concern more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own.
Selflessness is nurtured and grown through kindness and empathy, understanding what it is like to be in someone else’s shoes and encouraging children to verbalise this. Sharing and co-operation are also significant aspects of selflessness. Importantly, the balance between concern for your own needs and the needs of others has to be addressed.
Our Values assembly this month and discussions in class will explore what selflessness is, why it is important, and how we can recognise and develop kindness, empathy and a sense of humanity.
Our School Parliament have chosen the focus values ‘Generosity and Community’ for December:
Building on last month’s core value of selflessness we move into exploring and developing generosity and community.
What is ‘generosity’? Generosity is the desire to give what you have to others. Generous people are not selfish. They want to help those in need and are always willing to share. By combining this with growing an awareness of the wider community we live in, children learn that they are ‘stakeholders’ in it too. That they can be concerned and look out for others.
Our Values assembly this month and discussions in class will explore what generosity and community are, why they are important, and how we can all contribute to the community that we live in.
Our School Parliament have chosen ‘positivity’ as the focus value for January.
For children, learning to develop a positive mindset can mean that many aspects of life are much easier. There are many challenges that children face in their development, from anxiety to confusion about daily life. Having a strong and resilient, positive mindset can help children to combat these things.
For children to process their emotions and develop emotional intelligence, they often need to be guided on the road to positivity.
Positive thinking is when the state of mind can look at things constructively and grow from a negative event. Negative thoughts aren’t bad but they need to be handled in the right way.
Our Values assembly this month and discussions in class will explore what positivity is, times when it has been hard to be positive, and how positivity can be developed.
Our School Parliament has chosen the focus values ‘love and compassion’ for February.
Compassion means we care about others, treat them with kindness, and feel a strong desire to help people in need. Compassion is empathy in action. For a child, compassion might be giving a hug, making a card, or saying something kind to help a friend or family member who is feeling sad or upset. It can also be reaching out to a peer who has been left out or hearing about a community need and wanting to do something to help others, even if they do not know them.
Our Values discussions in class and at home will explore what love and compassion are, times when people have shown or seen love and compassion, how compassion can be developed and why it is such an important value.
Our School Parliament have chosen the focus value ‘open mindedness’ for March.
In the world today, we are exposed to diversity everywhere. People share different beliefs, languages, traditions, backgrounds, and appearances. Diversity fuels the world, creates numerous educational opportunities, and keeps conversations interesting.
We want our children to grow with open minds, tolerant of all the differences out there and capable of making thoughtful decisions based on facts. To do this they need to develop critical thinking and learn how to make independent judgements. Part of this process will involve making mistakes but learning from them.
Our Values assembly this month and discussions in class will explore what open mindedness is, times when people have shown or seen it, how open-mindedness can be developed and why it is such an important value.
Our School Parliament has chosen the focus values ‘Dedication and Risk Taking’ for April.
Each and every person is unique, and today the world is more egalitarian than ever before. Almost anything is possible if you want to do it badly enough, it is a time to encourage ambition. Ambition to dream and set goals to achieve those dreams. To think of different possibilities and not be constrained by self-doubt or limited horizons.
To achieve though, children need to learn how to commit themselves to a task and then develop perseverance and resilience. To be ambitious, children need to be able to take risks and trust in their judgement. Mistakes will need to be made and lessons learned from them and this is where the resilience come into action.
Our Values assembly this month and discussions in class will explore what dedication and risk taking are, how different people have taken risks and what they have achieved by doing this.
Our School Parliament has chosen the focus values ‘Perseverance and Enthusiasm’ for May.
Perseverance is the ability and self-control that pushes us to work through challenges. Having perseverance means that when faced with a challenge, you use your mind and your body to overcome it. Perseverance means you are able to wait and work through difficulties, whether they have to do with your mind, your body, or your emotions.
It’s important to note that the definition of perseverance is not “don’t give up no matter what” or “never quit”. Sometimes you’ll do your best but it will still be time to move on to a different goal. However, perseverance is the ability to do your best toward a goal, even though it’s a big challenge.
Motivating children’s natural enthusiasm then results in a personal desire to want to accomplish things and makes perseverance more attainable.
Our Values assembly this month and discussions in class will explore what perseverance and enthusiasm are, how they can be combined into an incredible force and how to recognise them.
Our School Parliament has chosen the focus values ‘Loyalty and Teamwork’ for June.
What is ‘loyalty’? As humans we rely on everybody working together; to a greater or lesser extent we all rely on other people so that we can live happily and healthily. We can see this from a global perspective where countries need to work together for peace and prosperity ... or from a city level ... or from a local neighbourhood level ... or from a family level where we work together as a team to get the best out of life that we can.
Loyalty is when we recognise the importance of the connections that we have with others and then acting in a way that not only protects those connections but also strengthens them. Being loyal might mean that we have to put other people’s best interests before our own; in other words, we might have to sacrifice something to protect the bonds that we share with others and value so much.
Our School Parliament has chosen the focus value ‘Trust’ for July.
What is ‘trust’? Trust is the backbone of every relationship. A sound relationship relies on truth and honesty. You trust what someone believes in, says and stands for. You also trust when you place confidence in someone or something.
Our school is effective when we trust each other’s words and actions, this involves all the adults and children in the school. It is when we trust each other, in their role, to do the best for each other, keeping each other safe and working for a common ‘good’.
Our Values assembly this month and discussions in class will explore what trust is, why it is important, how we can develop trust, how it can be broken and how we can repair it.