Aim

Our mission is to create and sustain a caring, learning community of high quality where everyone is valued for who they are and what they may become. To contribute to achieving that aim, we believe that good conduct, effort and achievement should always be encouraged and recognised within the academy alongside the values of resilience, respect and responsibility that underpin a high-quality learning community.

What excellent learning behaviours and social skills do we expect all students and staff to achieve?

Respect

For everyone to be valued for who they are, respect is crucial towards all members of the academy community. This is demonstrated through respect of the environment, including the academy, the community and the world around us. It is demonstrated through respect for themselves through health choices and respect for others through good manners.

Responsibility

Responsibility is also key for a high-quality learning community. Students need to take responsibility for learning, their behaviour and their choices. This can be demonstrated by arriving on time and in appropriate uniform with the correct equipment for lessons.

Resilience

Resilience is important for learning and learning involves going out of your comfort zone. Resilience helps students to overcome challenges, to avoid the influence of negativity and self-doubt.

How do we teach these skills and behaviours?

Through Our Curriculum

All staff have responsibility for modelling the values of respect, responsibility and resilience, whatever their role within the academy. The PSCHE curriculum includes explicit teaching about relationships, health and wellbeing and living in the wider world.

Character education is woven into the PSCHE curriculum and strives to develop students’ self-worth by staff valuing every student as a member of the academy community and modelling the development of positive relationships. Staff also acknowledge the individuality of the students and provide opportunities and meaningful challenges linked to their interests. In addition, staff provide opportunities for learners to develop decision-making skills, express their ideas, expect accountability and trust learners to make their own decisions and recognise them for doing so. Skill development will be recognised and developed through the use of a tool called Skills Builder. These skills link with the SECRET skills.

Through Our Routines

All staff are expected to teach the learning behaviours they expect to see in their classrooms or areas of responsibility. This includes aspects of academy life. For example, how to enter the classroom, how to ask a question and how to queue in the canteen. Posters reminding all members of the academy community about how to demonstrate our values of respect, responsibility and resilience in spaces such as classrooms, corridors, the canteen, school transport and outdoor spaces are on display around the site.

Through the Protection and Promotion of Our School Ethos

Looe Community Academy strives for students to be the best they can be and has an inclusive community ethos. As well as students receiving support from their tutor day to day, they also are a member of a House, either TRE, POL, PEN or KEV, led by a Head of House. Houses work together at various times of the year in activities which promote our values and celebrate the students' achievements. House and year group assemblies are used to model school values and publicly exemplify positive behaviours that reinforce the academy’s ethos.