Ethos and Mission Statement

George Stephenson High School will:

• Provide an education for life by meeting the needs of all learners through a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum;
• Create a safe, positive and stimulating environment for learning by developing an atmosphere of tolerance, trust and respect;
• Develop shared responsibility for our students' education by working in partnership with parents, students and staff;
• Enable all students to achieve success by encouraging and rewarding individual talents, efforts and achievements.

George Stephenson High School prides itself on reflecting the great inventor's two passions - innovation and education. We put learning first to give each and every one of our students the best chance for the future.

At George Stephenson High School we recognise not only the importance of allowing students to flourish academically but we also embrace our wider role in preparing them for their adult life beyond the formal examined curriculum. Part of our role in that preparation is ensuring that we promote and reinforce British values to our students.

The government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy and considered them to be democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. At George Stephenson High School these values are reinforced in a pervasive manner and permeate the school community.

The examples that follow are an indication of some of the many ways we seek to embed British values at George Stephenson High School and should be seen as an indication of our approach rather than an exhaustive list.

At George Stephenson High School the principle of democracy is consistently reinforced, with the democratic process being employed for important decisions within the school community and beyond, for instance the nomination and election of students to the North Tyneside Youth Council and the Young Mayor, and the annual nominations and voting for our school charity. The principle of democracy is explored in History and Religious Studies as well as in tutor time and assemblies.

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Students are taught the values and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. The ‘Ready, Respectful and Safe’ behaviour blueprint reflects this. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service are regular parts of our calendar and help reinforce this message.

Within George Stephenson High School students are actively encouraged to make independent choices knowing that they are in a safe, secure and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for students to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and an empowering education.  Students are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights, responsibilities and personal freedoms and receive advice about how to exercise these safely, for example through our exploration of E-Safety in computing and their tutor time activities.

Respect is at the core of our school ethos and is modelled by students and staff alike. The school promotes respect for others and this is reiterated through our classroom and learning environments. In line with our commitment to democracy students at George Stephenson High School are always able to voice their opinions and we foster an environment where students are safe to disagree with each other. The development of Leadership, Organisation, Resilience, Initiative and Communication (LORIC) skills across the school develops mutual respect throughout the curriculum and our code of conduct promotes the values of respect and responsibility. 

This is achieved through equipping students with the ability to understand their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity within the school community.  All students experience ‘Dimensions Days’ where global themes and cultures are explored. We also run a number of trips abroad throughout the academic year from which our students gain valuable experience of other cultures and languages. Our Religious Studies curriculum provides a broad and balanced education on a range of faiths, religions and cultures and all curriculum areas have mapped their curriculum to identify opportunities to promote students spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Should you feel that the school is not meeting this requirement, you should contact the school office and request to express your concerns with the Headteacher. Likewise, if you feel that anyone working at the school is undermining these values you should report this to the Headteacher.