Rating description:
- Fully met: Our school has developed a clear ethos about treating others respectfully, fairly and kindly, and this is communicated to the whole school community (pupils, parents and school staff) in a variety of ways. This is consistently role-modelled by leadership and referred to regularly to demonstrate understanding.
- Partially met: Our school has a clear ethos about treating others respectfully, fairly and kindly, but this is not regularly communicated to the whole school community (pupils, parents and school staff) and/ or not regularly role-modelled by leadership.
- Not yet met: Our school does not have a clear ethos about treating others respectfully, fairly and kindly.
Why is this important?
A clear and well-communicated ethos about how we treat others sets the foundation for a positive and safe school culture. When pupils, parent/ carers, and staff understand and embrace this ethos, it fosters mutual respect, strengthens relationships, and creates a shared commitment to maintaining a safe and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and supported.
Top Tips:
- Developing a clear strategy about how we treat others that is role modelled by school staff is vital to preventing bullying. This can be done via various means such as:
- co-creating a set of principles as a school about how we treat others
- creating posters/leaflets together sharing this
- holding assemblies about what this means
- utilising Anti-Bullying Week to promote the ethos/develop the ethos
- ensure the ethos is in staff induction and pupil enrolment processes.
Resources & Examples:
Resources
- The Department for Education's Effective Anti-Bullying Strategies - to give you ideas on what strategies are recommended.
- ABA's Bullying Prevention Tool - which can be used for school's and other settings of children's workforce.
- Creating a sense of place and belonging in schools - a report from the National Education Union on how intentional whole-school practice can help create a climate of welcome and belonging in school.
- Stand Up School: Relationship Education training - free trial from the Pyjama Drama Learning.
Examples
Please note that examples from primary and other school settings may still include some useful hints and tips you can adapt and apply for a secondary setting.
- Secondary School Case Study - on creating a clear school ethos led by student voice.
- Secondary School Case Study - on using various ways of creating a culture of respect and anti-bullying.
- Secondary School Case Study - on promoting kindness in school and the wider community.
- Primary School Case Study - on developing and utilising friendship ambassadors.
- Primary School Case Study - on using the Rights Respecting Schools award.
- Primary School Case Study - on using 'kindness awards' to promote kind behaviour
- Watch the below video for an example from a Gold All Together School, Cottage Grove Primary School, their child-led anti-bullying initiatives and how they ensure that their school ethos is communicated clearly:
See below for quotes and pieces of advice from other schools:
- "The school has a clear ethos of respect, kindness and honesty but this will be reinvigorated when new 'vision and values' are launched next academic year. Currently our school specifies treating everyone as an equal and with respect."
- "School values and aims which are in the school prospectus, in the home-school planners and on the website. Each class also have class rules and we follow the SEAL curriculum. We also have small nurture groups and a lunch time club to support individuals and groups."
- "Our school ethos is: Everyone Matters (We expect our community to be polite and respectful), Everyone helps (We expect our community to make sensible choices), Everyone Succeeds (We expect our community to work hard). This is as the centre of everything we do and is shared across our school community."
Note: the resources listed at the bottom of this page (below) have all been referenced in the text above.