From the moment children enter Bealings in Reception, they become an active member of our democratic community. They attend the weekly school meeting where they are encouraged to reflect on their experiences as a member of this community, and to consider their attitudes and behaviour in relation to the group around them. They do this by making suggestions for changes and improvements and responding to the thoughts and opinions of others.
By attending these meetings they are able to understand from day one, that they have a voice and are able to bring about change in the world around them.
This is also carried through into our work within the classrooms and the fictional contexts within which we work allow the children to behave as if they are out in the wider world, meeting new and different people, responding to problems, managing risk, making responsible decisions. Children spend their days standing in the shoes of others and so their empathetic nature is developed day by day, year by year.
In this way, PSHE and RE (Relationships Education) runs like a golden thread through all that we do.