Character and Belonging at HACH

Our culture is determined by how we operate in our community. Our strength of character determines how we think, speak and act. Therefore, we want to support every child on their path to good character.

We believe character is not genetically determined or fixed but that it can be nurtured and cultivated in the right environment. We respect children for who they are now yet believe that we can all be better versions of ourselves. This belief shapes our work with children.

We want to capture the essence of good character to help every child on their path to success. Being clear about our goals enables us to structure our character curriculum so that children have the right experiences to support their growth. Being clear also enables us to have those powerful conversations which help children navigate their adolescence and step into adulthood ready to be successful. We are a school for the future.

 

 

Responsibility

The acceptance that we are accountable for our actions.

We say: “We are masters of our own destiny.”

We embrace responsibility as follows:

· We are punctual, prepared and ready to learn

· We look after our school environment

· We wear our uniform with pride

· We are accountable for our actions, especially when we get it wrong

· We do our best to manage our emotions

 

Confidence

The faith in our ability to meet our goals and shape our futures

We say: “I’ve got this”

We embrace confidence as follows:

· We find our voice and have the confidence to use it

· We work to recover from frustrations and set-backs

· We remain confident that our effort will improve our future

· We are ready to operate outside of our comfort zone

· We stand-up to injustice and do the right thing

 

Zest

An approach to a life filled with excitement and energy.

We say: “Bring the energy.”

We embrace zest as follows:

· We get started right away and avoid procrastination

· We ask and answer questions to deepen our understanding

· We invigorate others through our curiosity for powerful knowledge

· By taking our curriculum further through reading, homework and revision

· We Make our Mark through exploration of new passions and interests

 

Grit

Resilience, hard work and determination in our work.

We say: “Growing up means showing up”

We embrace grit as follows:

· We pay attention and resist distraction

· We work independently and with focus

· We try hard even after experiencing failure

· We stay organised and manage our time

· When a question is asked, we think hard and try to answer it

 

Kindness

Proactive, thoughtful actions and words to help others.

We say: “We choose kindness, even when its hard”

We embrace kindness as follows:

· We respect and show appreciation for others

· We are tolerant of differences within our diverse community

· We are polite and well-mannered to adults and children alike

· We uphold a duty to look out for other people

· We celebrate the success of others

We celebrate examples of student character through our 'Character Merit' reward system. Students collect merits by demonstrating the character traits in lessons and around the Academy. These merits are collated by home group, and the winning home group each half term is rewarded with a celebration breakfast.

We also celebrate Character Traits throughout the year with Pillar Days. These days provide an opportunity for year groups to explore a character trait through the prism of a year group wide project. The goal is take aspects of different subjects that flow into discussion and reflection about that given trait. 

For more on how the Character Traits inform behaviours at our Academy please see the behaviour policy