Our Ethos: Pupil Friendly Version

Our Ethos is the ‘climate’ within which we all go about our daily school business, whether as a pupil in a classroom, a teacher, a learning assistant, working in the school office or canteen, or as a lunchtime supervisor.

It’s important to also recognise that this ‘climate’ is generated not only by the adults & pupils in the school, but also the parents/carers of our children. Our Ethos has therefore been shaped through talking with the children, surveying parents, staff & Governors. We celebrate its ambition to nurture our children to reach their full potential, within an environment of caring for one another, preparing them to be respectful and kind.

The ‘pupil friendly’ version of our Ethos draws upon words & phrases that are familiar to children within our setting, but that are also directly linked to the Ethos statement, e.g. nurture = grow.

In keeping with this theme, and the abundance of open space within our setting here at Ballynahinch PS, we want to evoke the imagery of our children being ‘sun flowers’ that will grow within our school environment. Our children will flourish and thrive within a climate of encouragement and praise, but also through them claiming a renewed self-awareness of who they are, why they are special and that they belong here as ‘part of us’.

In keeping with the garden theme, we have introduced the concept of our ‘Ballynahinch Bee’ (its name is to be chosen by the children). Again, this will form a powerful visual connection for our children as they are reminded that they ‘BEElong’, that we ‘BEElieve’ in them, and to ‘BEE’ ambitious. Our Bee will pop up around the school to remind children to always give of their ‘best’.

The final piece of the jigsaw has been getting the children from P5-P7 to give their own interpretation of each of the values outlined to help them further embed ownership of their school ethos.

The words surrounding each of the characters are from the children and are very powerful indeed.