Putting Children First 

Our Philosophy of Education

As a school, we believe that the process of learning is fundamentally about children actively engaging with knowledge, skills and their thinking.

A successful learner and thinker will:

• Make connections between their existing knowledge and understanding of the world, and any new information they encounter.
• Be an active participant in the transformation of knowledge skills and ideas
• Develop a ‘Growth Mindset’ so that they become resilient learners that are focused on the process of learning and able to reach their full potential. 

Our Philosophy of Education is based on the principles of ‘Growth Mindset Learning’ (C. Dweck Ph.D). Every learner at Addingham Primary School – child, member of staff and governor – is here to Grow their own Brains!

The word ‘Yet’ is very important to our philosophy because there are many things we still cannot do… but, it’s just a matter of ‘yet’: with determination, commitment, perseverance (and many other Learning Behaviours) we can fire the neurons in our brain to embed these new skills.

At Addingham Primary School, our central goal is to foster ‘Learning for Life’. By providing children with rich and rewarding learning experiences, we aim to inspire a lifelong love of learning and equip children with the key knowledge, understanding, skills and personal qualities they will need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Both adults and children should and do learn new things every day, and so as teachers we must support our pupils to become successful and independent learners throughout their lives. An integral part of Addingham Primary School’s inclusive vision for all learners is that all students are appropriately challenged. This includes SEN/D students and is to ensure outstanding progress for all.

To do this, we must inspire, challenge, support and engage all kinds of learners through the widest possible range of learning opportunities.

Aim

 Through all our teaching we aim to:

• enable children to become confident, resourceful and independent learners
• support children to develop their skills and abilities and reach their potential
• foster children’s self-esteem and help them to build positive relationships with other people
• develop children’s self-respect and encourage them to understand and respect the ideas, attitudes and values of others
• show respect for a diverse range of cultures and, in so doing, promote positive attitudes towards other people;
• enable children to understand their community and feel valued as part of it
• help children grow into reliable, independent and positive citizens (see also our policy on promoting ‘fundamental British values’)
• promote curiosity, wonder and a lifelong love of learning.