Spiritual Education at Foxton Primary School
We promote the spiritual development of pupils in their
ability to be reflective in their own beliefs, religious or otherwise, that inform
their perspective on life and their interests in and respect for different people’s faith,
feelings and values through
1. Curriculum: The Cambridgeshire Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education (RE) 2013 suggests that
the four most important attitudes to develop in this subject are self-awareness, respect for all,
open-mindedness and appreciation and wonder. The best way to develop these attitudes is through
opportunities for reflection, which is built into all RE units taught in the school.
2. Planning: As the children move through the school, they learn to compare their own beliefs with
those of others and to compare beliefs from different faith groups. Children are also made aware
that the practice of people from the same faith group may be very different.
3. Visitors to school: Children in Class 4 meet a Buddhist visitor, who explains the impact of her faith
on her own life, and encourages the children to consider a variety of perspectives using objects
from the natural world. An opportunity for meditation encourages reflection.
4. Visits: Children in Class 2 have an opportunity to visit the church and learn about Christian baptism.
As part of this unit in RE, they share their own experiences of being welcomed and celebrated when
they were born. Children learn the meaning of their own names, and how given names are chosen.
5. Collective Worship: All children reflect upon a range of views within Christianity and are invited to
consider their views on a variety of current topics, such as the response to poverty. Opportunities
for reflection are given through music, singing, signing, meditation, prayer and silence.
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sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around
them, through
Science: Children are encouraged to learn systematically about the natural world, taking time to
study through careful observation, by asking questions and through experiments. Children in Class
3 study the effect of different growing conditions on plants and record their observations.
Art: Children are taught to observe the natural world and to describe and record what they see.
Lessons take place inside and out, with frequent trips into the school grounds with sketch books.
Class 1 children study a wide variety of shells and use their observations in drawing, sewing and
printing projects.
Playing outside: Our beautiful grounds are used every day for both directed and free play, with
children engaged in a wide variety of games. Younger children use the wheeled toys to give rides to
their friends and older children use the trim trail or walk through the willow tunnel.
Studying outside: In our outdoor classroom, children in Class 4 have a lesson with trainees from the
University of Cambridge, exploring an Islamic tale, The Conference of the Birds. Children in Class 1
have free access to outdoor spaces for learning.
School garden: Throughout the school, children participate in gardening activities. They are
encouraged to consider the nature of growth and development, and to consider the differences
between their own situation and those who depend for food on what they can grow themselves.
use of imagination and creativity in their learning, through
1. Religious Education lessons: Children in Class 3 study a core unit called ‘Who are the saints of God,
and why are they important?’ They explore questions like, ‘What sort of person do you want to be?’
‘Who is your personal hero, and why?’ and to design their own symbols on shields to represent the
qualities that the children believe to be important to them.
2. Art lessons: Children are invited to explore a creative response to an art topic. Class 4 children use
their own abstract symbols to represent emotions, when studying ‘The Scream’ by Edvard Munch.
3. Music lessons: Children in Class 1 use un-tuned percussion instruments to explore their different
ways of producing sounds in order to illustrate a story about care of the environment.
4. Visits: Children in Class 4 travel to Swanage and are encouraged to use their preparatory learning
and imagination to recreate life in Corfe Castle. They take time to walk in beautiful countryside and
learn about the natural features around them. Children in Class 2 visit the stained glass museum at
Ely Cathedral and learn the story of a window. They consider the meaning of the colours and have
an opportunity to create their own ‘window’ in a workshop.
willingness to reflect upon their experiences
1. Special projects (a): Children throughout the school have an opportunity to participate in an art/RE
project, called ‘The Journey of Life’. Members of staff attend workshops at the cathedral in
preparation for lessons that encourage children to consider Christian ideas and to reflect upon their
own. Children produce a response in words, banners and sculptures.
2. Special projects (b): Children in Class 4 take part in a series of lessons of Hinduism that require
serious thought about Hindu values and their own. One lesson is filmed for a study on spirituality by
the Church Schools’ Trust in Cambridge for academic study.
3. Visits: Children in class 4 receive a visit from the friend of a member of staff, who tells them about
life as a homeless person, and the benefits of Jimmy’s Night-shelter in Cambridge, which he now
supports. Children respond in asking questions and in writing thoughtful and reflective responses.
The whole school harvest offering is donated to the night-shelter.
4. Collective worship: Children share their learning about the world around them. Children in Class 3
visit Welney Wildfowl & Wetland Trust, and then share their experiences with the whole school in a
pupil-presented assembly.
5. One world: Children throughout the school are encouraged to think of themselves in a local,
national and global situation. They learn about children in a variety of circumstances, comparing
and contrasting experiences and offering a response through ‘Operation Christmas Child’.
Moral Education at Foxton Primary School
We promote the moral development of pupils by giving them
the ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong, readily apply this understanding
in their own lives and, in so doing, respect the civil and criminal law of England.
1. Throughout the school the 4C’s promote the understanding of right and wrong which is then
modelled and shared consistently.
2. Every class has classroom rules which are devised by the teacher and pupils in the class. Children
are encouraged in their understanding of the concept of mutual respect, both inside and outside
school.
an understanding of the consequences of their behaviour and actions
1. Children are awarded Merit Certificates to reward behaviour which reflects the 4C’s. They are also
awarded special certificates for Thinking of Others.
2. Children are consistently invited to participate in addressing the consequences of their wrong
actions.
3. In Class 4 children are specifically made aware of the legal age of criminal responsibility and the
possible consequences of their actions and behaviour.
an interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues, and being
able to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues.
1. In RE lessons throughout the school children are presented with a range of views on moral and
ethical issues and taught the skills of listening, taking turns to express their opinion and
participating in meaningful discussion, specifically how to agree and disagree constructively with
others.
Social Education at Foxton Primary School
We promote the social development of pupils in their
use of a range of social skills in different contexts, including working and socialising with pupils
from different religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds through
1. Inclusive, mixed ability teaching: Considered and regularly changed seating patterns in class and in
lunch ensure children interact with all of their peers. Children routinely work and socialise with all
members of their class and mix freely with other classes at playtimes and lunchtimes.
2. Social behaviour: From the time they join Foxton School, children are taught to understand and use
the 4Cs in their interactions with others: caring, consideration, co-operation and courtesy. Based
on these values, appropriate, thoughtful social behaviour is clearly defined, modelled and
continually practised in a range of social situations: whole class, small group, pairs, inter-class
groups and pairs, Reception/Year 6 reading partners, Rising 5s/Year 5 reading partners, mixed age
Buddy Groups and Sports Day teams. We also have family-service lunch tables where children are
seated with their siblings on mixed-aged tables and served their food by older children.
3. Inter-school events: Children regularly mix with their peers from other local schools and cluster
events such as KS1 multi-sports days and the KS2 Careers Seminar, Wellness Day, Secondary School
induction days, quizzes, Maths events and competitive sports matches. Throughout the school,
children are taught appropriate social behaviour amongst children they know less well.
willingness to participate in a variety of communities and social settings, including volunteering,
cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively, through
1. Engagement with visits and visitors: Each class regularly undertakes school visits and invites
visitors into school to support teaching and learning in the wider curriculum. On these occasions
and especially at inter-school events run by adults from elsewhere, the willingness of Foxton pupils
to engage, participate and volunteer for roles is often remarked upon.
2. Community events: The school regularly holds events to which members of the local community
are invited. These include sharing assemblies, KS1 and KS2 performances, Class 2’s performances
for the village Lunch Club, Celebration Evening and the Christmas Carol Service in the village church.
The Friends of Foxton School hold an Autumn Art Exhibition and the school hosts an annual
community tea party and on these occasions Class 4 children serve as waiters and waitresses. The
school also holds a variety of fundraising events for local charities (such as Tom’s Trust, Beads of
Courage) and national causes (Children in Need, Red Nose Day, Downs Awareness Day). In 2015 we
held a particularly successful sponsored multi-sports event which raised £1248 for Childline.
3. Teamwork: Class 4 children undertake an economics challenge in which they work together in small
groups to multiply their £5 `seed’ money into larger profits through a variety of money-making
schemes. The projects teach the children cooperative social skills as well as resilience and
creativity.
4. Conflict resolution: We have a shared approach to conflict resolution including modelling of the
4Cs by staff and older children, listening to aggrieved parties and determining mutually acceptable
resolutions. Parents/carers are included appropriately in such resolutions. Our open door policy
makes the headteacher and all other staff members routinely accessible to concerned children and
their parents/carers.
acceptance and engagement 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; the
pupils develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in
and contribute positively to life in modern Britain, through
1. Debating skills: Throughout the school in PSHE and RE lessons, children are presented with a range
of views on moral and ethical issues and taught the skills of listening, taking turns to express their
opinion and participate in meaningful discussion. Specifically, children are taught how to agree and
disagree constructively with others.
2. PSHE Curriculum: Over the 2 year topic cycle, children throughout the school engage with PSHE
topics which teach social skills and British values: (Myself & My Relationships - beginning and
belonging, families and friendships, me and my emotions, anti-bullying, and Citizenship - working
together, rights rules & responsibilities, diversity & communities). This latter topic includes learning
about the Rights of the Child and how some laws and conventions transcend national boundaries.
3. RE Curriculum: In their RE lessons, children throughout the school learn the similarities and
differences within and between different religions. They reflect respectfully on a variety of faiths
and beliefs and consider how these resonate with their own lives. For example, Class 2 presented a
sharing assembly explaining some of the beliefs and practices of Sikhs.
4. Ancient Greece Topic: Class 3 children discuss democracy, what that means and why it is
important, this is illustrated by a class debate and a vote at the end.
5. Ancient Rome Topic: Class 4 children learn the distinctions between kingdom, republic and empire,
how these boundaries were used in Ancient Roman times and are still current today.
6. Life in the Time of Jesus: Class 2 children make sense of the lives of early Christians living in lands
occupied by the Romans and subjected to the Roman census, taxation and punishment. They
contrast this with modern British democracy and rule of law.
7. Visit to Cambridge Magistrates Court: Class 4 children visit the local magistrates court to learn
about the English legal system at work in the local community and the value of a transparent,
publicly accountable legal system.
8. Looking outwards: As a small school, we recognise it is important that children understand and
engage with the wider world. They are encouraged to respond to local, national and global events
through Question of the Week, collective worship, Buddy Forums and class discussions.
Cultural Education at Foxton Primary School
We promote the cultural development of pupils in their
understanding and appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that
have shaped their own heritage and that of others, through
1. Curriculum: Through their studies, all children should learn about Christianity and other religions
and beliefs represented in the class, school or local community.
2. Planning: Religious Education, History and Personal, Health and Social Education are all used to
ensure that issues relating to equality and diversity are tackled systematically, including antibullying.
3. Visitors to school: Children in Class 4 meet a Buddhist visitor, who explains the impact of her faith
on her own life, and encourages the children to consider a variety of perspectives using objects
from the natural world.
4. Visits: Children in Class 3 visit West Stow and discover that our heritage has been shaped by
invaders and settlers from other countries. At the Museum of Classical Archaeology, the Fitzwilliam
Museum and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology they consider how ancient civilisations
have had an impact on the way we live today
5. Collective Worship: Children learn about Christianity and a range of significant people who have
made an impact on their culture and heritage.
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understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures within school and further afield
as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
Encouraging: Question of the Week provides a specific opportunity every week for children to
consider important issues of the day, to explore material and to consider evidence. Children are
encouraged to present their findings and share their discoveries.
Images: Resources are used to show people from different cultures in both traditional and more
familiar dress. This is particularly important for Muslim families. Stories and pictures are chosen
with care to show a wide range of difference and to reinforce beliefs in equality and diversity.
Staff: We welcome the contribution of members of staff who have lived abroad and are able to
share that with the children, or who have family members from a different culture.
Partnerships: We welcome the opportunity to partner with members of faith communities,
especially through families, in order to learn more about the world around us.
Pupils: Children are encouraged to discuss and celebrate their own cultural differences or
discoveries. They are given opportunities to share experiences of holidays or visits abroad to family.
knowledge of Britain’s democratic parliamentary system and its central role in shaping our history
and values, and in continuing to develop Britain
Cabot to the Commonwealth Topic: Class 4 children explore governance in the United Kingdom,
and learn how the Magna Carta links systems of government both in the UK and North America.
Ancient Greece Topic: Class 3 children discuss democracy, what that means and why it is
important, this is illustrated by a class debate and a vote at the end.
United Kingdom Topic: Children look at how the Union Flag has changed to reflect the different
members of the Union over time; this included discussions about the Scottish referendum and the
future of the union.
Europe Topic: Children learn about how the European Union is made up and how this impacts their
own lives. World War One Anniversary: Children throughout the school studied some appropriate
aspects of the First World War, and finished by reflecting upon different aspects of peace.
Rights, Rules and Responsibilities (Citizenship) topic: includes learning about the Rights of the
Child and how some laws and conventions transcend national boundaries.
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willingness to participate in and respond positively to artistic, sporting and other cultural
opportunities
Music – special projects: Participation in Noye’s Fludde opera (Benjamin Britten) with children
from northern France and south-east England has been a cultural highlight of this year. The project
has involved the Orchestre de Picardie and members of The Royal Opera Company in London.
Music - lessons: Djembe drumming workshop raises awareness of music-making in other cultures.
This is extended in lessons throughout the school as children learn a range of songs in different
languages from the United Kingdom and around the world.
Art – special projects: Children in Class 4 are able to visit the sculpture park at Perry Green to study
the work of Henry Moore and then to create their own work. All the children take part in an annual
exhibition that includes work from many professional artists.
Art – lessons: In Class 3, children study and create their own version of art from other cultures in
African paintings and mask making. Children from Class 1 study sculpture with found materials by
Andy Goldsworthy and create their own work.
Sport – special projects: Children from key stage two are able to meet and compete with children
from other schools at the local secondary school. Children in Year 4 take part in an annual athletics
day which involves all South Cambridgeshire schools. Each year it is given a theme of an
international sporting event and each school represents a country.
Sport – lessons: All children have the opportunity of some lessons with a Physical Education
specialist, and have access to a range of clubs and sporting activities from Year 1.
interest in exploring, improving understanding of and showing respect for different faiths and
cultural diversity, and to the extent by which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate
diversity, as shown by their tolerance and attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socioeconomic groups in the local, national and global communities
1. Planning: In Religious Education (RE) there are choices built in to the subject that enable teachers
to address the privilege of welcoming children from a variety of religious and cultural
backgrounds. New units such as, ‘What is it like to be a Christian in Vellore?’ help the children in
key stage two to see beliefs in a cultural context.
2. Supporting: We respond to children’s needs in order to guide and encourage them to live and
work together in our community. We also encourage positive responses to events outside the
community, supporting appeals for e.g. Children in Need and Allyance (our counselling project).
3. Celebrating our community members: In our community, we welcome families from around the
world, and encourage them to teach us more about their own celebrations. Children in Class Two
talk about what they do as a family at the weekend and on special days.
4. Preparing: All children are prepared for the reception and inclusion of children with specific
disabilities into the school community. In key stage two, children study the Diversity and
Community (Citizenship) topic. They are taught that the inclusion of children with disabilities is a
shared responsibility, and are encouraged to care for children who need extra care.
5. Visits: Children in class 4 receive a visit from the friend of a member of staff, who tells them
about life as a homeless person, and the benefits of Jimmy’s Night-shelter in Cambridge, which
he now supports. Children respond in asking questions and in writing thoughtful and reflective
responses. The whole school harvest offering is donated to the night-shelter.