Heath Lane Academy's mission is to 'develop good people' and our vision is the best in everyone.

We believe in there core values; work hard, be kind and be respectful.
Heath Lane Academy

Education with Character

Character Education

We believe in three core values; work hard, be kind and be respectful. We use these terms as part of our daily language and encourage their use in classrooms by using the rewards system. These Academy values underpin everything we do at the school and are seen across all areas of the Academy.

Linked with our Academy core values are 4 sets of character values. These are Civic values, Intellectual Values, Moral Values and Performance values. As an academy we look to develop these values through various initiatives such as:-

PSHE Lessons
Tutor prep programme
Whole school charity work
School council
Student leadership positions
Assemblies
Just Give whole year charity project
Mentoring programmes
Extra-curricular clubs and activities
Careers curriculum

Civic Values

‘Character traits that are necessary for engaged responsible citizenship, contributing to the common good.’

These are values that we learn to respect as citizens. They are values that involve thinking of others instead of yourself and are important to develop our young people as they grow into our next citizens. Intellectual Values ‘Character traits necessary for discernment, right action and the pursuit of knowledge, truth and understanding

Service
Neighbourliness
Citzenship
Community awareness
Volunterring
Social Justice

Moral Values

‘Character traits that enable us to act well in situations that require an ethical response'

These are values that are important when making difficult decisions and ‘doing the right thing’. It is about us teaching the students about the importance of being a good person and making the right choices even when under external pressures.

Courage
Compassion
Gratitude
Justice
Honesty
Humility
Modesty
Self-Discipline
Tolerance
Integrity
Friendliness
Respect
Trust

Intellectual Values

'Character traits necessary for disconcernment, right action and the pursuit of knowledge, truth and understanding'

Intellectual virtues are qualities of mind and character that promote intellectual flourishing, critical thinking, and the pursuit of truth. These are important to our young people as they prepare them for further education and future careers.

Reflection
Focus
Critical Thinking
Reason and Judgement
Curiosity
Resourcefulness
Open-Midedness
Wisdom
Creativity

Performance Values

‘Character traits that have an instrumental value in enabling the intellectual, moral and civic virtues.’

These values are important in the day to day lives of our young people and within these then all other values are not supported. These values will again help support our young people as they move forward in their lives

Resilience
Perserverance
Determination
Leadership
Teamwork
Confidence
Motivation
Ambiton
Problem-Solving
Communication

Character Teaching

Staff Expectations

Character can be both explicitly taught and caught by building a positive ethos in school.

Caught approaches to character education place importance on the quality of relationships between students and staff within all school activities and emphasise the importance of teachers acting as positive role models for their students.

As Form Tutors (during registration), our expectations are:

Uphold uniform standards, basic manners and courtesy.
Praise students’ values such as integrity, respect, etc.
Deliver one PSHCE session each week linked to character from the specified programme.
Monitor tutor group academic mentoring around our core values.
Support form groups in delivering one assembly per year linked to a given value.
Role model our values at all times.

As Subject Teachers (during lessons), our expectations are:

Promote the core values and use praise points to acknowledge students’ participation in these.
Role model our values at all times.
Take opportunities to praise students’ values, particularly the intellectual and performance ones that encourage greater independent learning.
Deliver character lessons through PSHE which has the focussed value incorporated into the lesson, both implicitly and explicitly.

As Adults Around the School, our expectations are:

Set and uphold uniform standards, basic manners and courtesy, and praise students’ values such as respect.
Actively supervise students and encourage them to make the right choices using the language of character.
Proactively monitor the environment and encourage students to show respect — e.g. not dropping litter or creating graffiti.
Sanction any negative language or behaviour that goes against our core values.
Role model our values at all times.