Values & Ethos

THE BALCARRAS TRUST

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The Balcarras Trust is committed to delivering outstanding inclusive, comprehensive education in each of its schools. Every child within the Trust will be expected, encouraged and supported to reach their full potential and, when they leave school, to be fully equipped to go on to be successful in the next phase of their lives.

The Trust will establish and maintain high standards of teaching, pastoral care and behaviour in its schools. No child will be “left behind.” There will be excellent opportunities for extra-curricular activities.

Each member of staff in the Trust’s schools will be an excellent role model and will play their part in ensuring that each of the Trust’s schools will have its own special ethos. Students will feel proud of their school.

The Trustees will, at all times, uphold the highest standards of financial propriety and make efficient and appropriate use of the public money made available to them.

Underpinning all the activities in the Trust is the belief that, however strong the performance of the Trust’s schools may be, there is always room for improvement. Everyone associated with the Trust, the trustees, governors, school leaders, staff and pupils will share this aspiration.

The Balcarras Trust is committed to its role as a ‘system leader’ in the wider educational environment. The Trust oversees the GLOW Maths Hub and the Balcarras Teaching School Partnership, both of which are leading providers of Continuing Professional Development for educators.

Bernard Roberts
Chair of Trustees

The High School Leckhampton:

Our Vision:

‘A flagship school at the heart of its community.’

At the High School Leckhampton we have an ambitious vision that fully embraces the inclusive and aspirational philosophy of The Trust.  We are fully committed to creating an exceptional school with a culture of high expectations and academic excellence, where all pupils are inspired to become curious, confident, socially attuned, independent thinkers who go on to be happy and successful in 21st century society.  Our aims are driven by a strong resolve to secure the best educational outcomes for all our pupils, by our unrelenting focus on teaching and learning and our commitment to continuous improvement. Our ethos and values are underpinned by a belief that every child should enjoy school and make superb progress, regardless of their starting point.  We are committed to ensuring that pupils’ experience of school is happy and safe, that they develop healthy and positive relationships with their peers and go on to achieve fulfilment in later life.  As such we expect all our colleagues to actively afford the highest standards of pastoral care.   We promote and value partnership working and are totally committed to becoming the number one school of choice in the community we serve.

Our Approach:  Prorsum Semper (Always Forward)

We are committed to ensuring that:

• All pupils make superb progress, regardless of their starting point and achieve outstanding academic outcomes
• The curriculum is interesting, suitably challenging, relevant and delivered by first-class teachers, who go the extra mile to bring out the very best in our pupils
• We are ambitious for all pupils and relentless in our quest for continuous improvement
• Our staff uphold and instil in our pupil’s the school values outlined below
• We develop the whole child by providing enriching opportunities in areas such as sport, music and drama
• We nurture a community spirit of friendliness and understanding
• School is a safe, happy environment with a calm, purposeful atmosphere, where all pupils thrive
• Pupils have access to the best possible facilities and resources to support all aspects of their learning
• We look after our environment and build a sustainable future for all
• We listen to and support parents and carers with their child’s journey through school
• As a UNICEF Rights Respecting School, all adults promote and uphold pupils' rights, as codified in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Our Values

Everyone associated with the school will:

• Strive for excellence and encourage resilience
• Participate, work together, and contribute positively to the community
• Expand our horizons

In April 2024 we achieved our Gold accreditation as a UNICEF Rights Respecting School.  We are very proud to have achieved this accolade so early in our school's journey, and feel it illustrates our commitment to creating a respectful culture, centred on pupil voice.  We have been accredited as an Eco-School in July 2023 which demonstrates our commitment to being a sustainable school for our community. 

British Values

The Government requires that schools teach ‘British Values’, as outlined in the 2011 Prevent Strategy.  These five values are:

• Democracy

Through pupil voice (House Councils and Elected Bodies) our pupils will learn about and experience democracy in action.The principle of democracy will be explored in the curriculum (specifically in History and Religious Education) as well as in assemblies.

• Mutual Respect

By putting teamwork and community at the heart of our school values, pupils will learn the importance of working together with tolerance and mutual understanding.All members of the community will treat each other with respect, this will be the experience of every classroom and will be reinforced in assemblies.

• The Rule of Law

Alongside understanding the clear rules and expectations required at school, our pupils will be taught about the values and reasons behind national laws that govern and protect us. As a school we will work closely with authorities such as the police to ensure pupils understand the responsibilities involved and consequences when laws are broken.

• Tolerance of those with different faith and beliefs

We believe in expanding the horizons of all members of the school community.We will take every opportunity to teach our pupils about those who have a different culture, faith or religion to their own, so that they can contribute positively to 21st century society.

• Individual Liberty

We will get to know our pupils as individuals.By creating a safe, supportive environment and an ethos underpinned by respect and tolerance, our pupils will be encouraged to think independently and express their views appropriately and with confidence.