Welcome and Ethos

'Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.' -Aristotle

Downsview is a diverse and thriving school; filled with the warmth, energy and positivity of parents, children and staff. Visitors to our school are welcomed into our diverse community as soon as they arrive. Strong relationships are built on kindness, care and mutual respect and give rise to a valuable sense of community. 

We aim to nurture the ‘whole child’ – body, mind and spirit. To this end, classroom learning focuses as much attention on how children learn as on what they learn. Children are encouraged to be ambitious and creative, to explore their learning in depth and push themselves to excel in a wide variety of pursuits.

We recognise that for children to thrive they need to learn to sustain their curiosity and so we embrace innovative approaches to teaching. We want the children to have memorable experiences on their journey to becoming confident, life-long learners. We seek to support all individuals to follow their own passions, whatever they may be, and so build their self-esteem and assurance.

As well as providing a strong academic platform from which to grow, our philosophy is to help children to find their own way towards living a life of purpose and fulfilment. We value and appreciate every single child for what they can bring to our community and offer a safe and trusting environment to enable them to flourish and succeed, as they prepare for their future in a fast-changing world.

The link between home and school is integral to your child’s success and we wholeheartedly encourage parents to take an active part in their child's learning and in the life of the school.

I hope that our website conveys this sense of what makes Downsview so unique and special. We have also produced a Virtual Tour to give you a small glimpse into what Downsview has to offer.  However, we always encourage a visit so that you can see for yourself all the amazing children and staff, as well as all the activities and facilities that Downsview can provide.  Please do come and visit; you will be made very welcome.  

Meghan Pugh
Head Teacher

Vision and Values

 

What OFSTED said:

'The governing body and school leaders have an aligned vision that focuses on developing the whole child, as well as academic success. The school’s core values are known and understood. Pupils and staff live by these each day. For example, the values of responsibility, trust and love are shown daily to Joey the school dog. Pupils and staff take great delight in helping to look after Joey and value the contribution he makes to their school experience. The restorative approach to pupils’ behaviour means that pupils learn from their mistakes and incidents are resolved. This results in pupils showing understanding and kindness to one another. Pupils develop an understanding that everyone has the right to be treated equally and with respect. Diversity is celebrated and pupils are valued for who they are.'

'There are clear expectations for pupils’ behaviour. In lessons, pupils are focused on their learning. At breaktimes, they enjoy the activities available to them and play happily.'

The governors and staff continue to drive the vision of creating a safe, happy and respectful learning environment where everyone is encouraged to do their best.

Our character development is based on five principles:

• Instilling and promoting values. The school's golden rule of 'Respect' and core values of Trust, Love, Cooperation, Diversity, Resilience and Responsibility are the foundations we build upon to strengthen our children’s character.
• Grow morally and develop life skills to be successful citizens who make a positive contribution to this world. As a school, our values run through a broad and balanced curriculum designed to promote the children’s moral growth and develop their life skills. Being a school with Eco-credentials with distinction, we are a beacon in the community teaching our children to be climate change champions. We have embedded sustainability into our curriculum and shown our community that our children care for the world around them.
• A meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners, empowering children to develop character and helping them succeed. At Downsview, children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and try their hardest to achieve their best.
• Relationships between the school, parents and the community. We strive to find every opportunity to foster caring and positive relationships with parents/carers and the wider community through our FOD events and whole school activities.
• Self-reflection – To be reflective is a vital skill to have for personal growth; therefore, we endeavour to teach children to be thoughtful, to evaluate and assess themselves; whilst at the same time, as staff, we regularly reflect on our own practice, in order to give the children the best possible opportunities.

​​​Our 6 Core Values

‘Values’ are the long-term underlying principles used in deciding what is morally right and to help guide us in making the right choices. We believe that if the values education underpins everything we do, then it will not only enhance the quality of teaching and learning, but will support children to make a positive contribution to the development of a fair, just and civil society.