At HLC we put SMSC at the heart of our school development, woven into the curriculum. We think about the kind of people we aspire to be, the kind of world we aspire to create, and the kind of education we aspire to provide. We promote children’s understanding of and respect for all aspects of British society and encourage children to explore and question their understanding of what is important.

Underpinning this curriculum are the five core values of our school: belong, respect, inspire, succeed and enjoy.

Our children Belong in a diverse community where they can show an interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept and respect diversity. This is shown by their respect and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities We teach all our pupils to Respect different people’s faiths, feelings and values, giving them the ability to be reflective about their own beliefs (religious or otherwise) and perspective on life We Inspire the children to be the people they want to be we give them the ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and to readily apply this under-standing in their own lives. We teach them to recognise legal boundaries and, in so doing, respect the civil and criminal law of England We aim for all our pupils to Succeed in life, to accept and engage with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual re-spect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. To develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and con-tribute positively to life in modern Britain. We develop a sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves and the world around them

We have pupils and families from a wide range of belief backgrounds in our school. We have a large Muslim community and celebrate a number of festivals which are special to Muslims. Our Sikh community work with us to celebrate Diwali, the festival of light. We also have a large Christian community and our younger children present the Nativity at Christmas. We also understand that not everyone has religious beliefs and learn to respect the great variety in our school and the wider community.

Our curriculum supports our children to develop a love of learning.  An experience or visit is planned each term and the unit ends with a reflection activity where the children think about their learning and how they can demonstrate what they understand to others.  Children are supported to use their imagination from role play situations in the early years through to debating in KS2. STEM is key in our curriculum and provide opportunities for children to understand life choices beyond school.

At HLC, we are committed to ensuring the mental well-being of children and staff. Environments across school provide children to have space to think and reflect.

We have school rules at HLC, that are underpinned by our vision and ethos

• We belong to this community and we welcome everyone in it.
• We respect each other and our differences
• We inspire each other to be our very best
• We help each other to succeed and are ready for learning
• We are a team who enjoy learning and strive for the best we can be.

The children are able to explain clearly why we have our rules and understand there are consequences for making the wrong decisions.  We discuss their actions with children when things go wrong and support them to reflect on their choices.

Lessons provide the children opportunities to investigate and voice their own views on issues including discrimination, laws and rights. These skills are taught and developed in all topics.

We plan and teach learning opportunities for children to work with all of their peers. We pride ourselves on how inclusive our school is. We welcome children from the Bridge School into our lessons and understand how to support these members of our school community. We invite our families into school throughout the year to join in our celebrations and to share our learning.

Our Student Parliament work effectively across school, giving our pupils a voice in the development of our school. The STEM leaders, Safe Squad and Sports leaders also work with key staff to promote healthy lifestyles and to keep children safe and well.

We use Picture News in our collective worship to educate and engage pupils with the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Children develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.

Our school has a rich cultural mix which supports our children’s understanding of their heritage and the heritage of the other children in the school. Lessons and experiences allow children to find out about the past and wider cultural influences.

We enjoy competing in sports and joining with other local schools in our sports cluster. Every term we run a competitive Inter school sports week. We are a ‘Sing up Gold’ school and perform at the local parish concert, music festivals and the regional ‘Young Voices’ concert.

Performing arts is a large focus of our school community and we use the expert skills of some of the secondary teaching staff to ensure that our children have the best possible experiences. All of the children throughout school are involved in at least one performance in a school year.