Our Ethos

 

The Academy Ethos Team

Grace Academy has a unique Christian ethos based upon our five shared values of Grace, Respect, Integrity, Potential and Excellence. As part of our commitment to character education, we have a vision to develop citizens who make a difference we help engage students and staff to outwork our values through participating in the work of a dedicated Ethos Team which is part sponsored by Grace Foundation. This ethos is designed to be inclusive to those with different faiths or those who have no faith at all.

Our Ethos Team includes a dedicated member of the academy leadership team, a youth worker and a family support worker who collaborate with key staff to help students develop a sense of identity, make wise and well-informed choices, live aspirationally, understand and apply the Grace values and explore the relevance of the Christian message. Our ethos can also help students develop their understanding of inclusivity and promote diversity. Our team helps with wellbeing of staff and students across the academy and runs various projects with students throughout the school year to promote this.

We run regular clubs, workshops and events. Each year our students are involved in a number of charity and community projects working with local organisations. We have ran social actions trips in the local area as well as Manchester and Mexico which help students learn about the world around them and how they can make a positive difference.

Please contact Mr Miles at the academy if you would like any more information about our ethos. [email protected]

Our Ethos & Enterprise Learning Journey

Every Grace Student participates in an enhanced curriculum as part of their journey from Year 7 to Post 16. This journey is built around four key themes which build on a set of Ethos and Enterprise Learning outcomes that holistically benefit our students.

The key themes are:

developing-shared-valuesDeveloping Shared Values: Embedding our values through the curriculum and culture
understanding-christian-perspectivesUnderstanding Christian Perspectives: Exploring Christian viewpoints on faith based issues as part of the curriculum
building-healthy-relationshipsBuilding Healthy Relationships: Developing the skills, values & wisdom to build effective relationships in every sphere of life

The Ethos and Enterprise learning outcomes make a positive contribution towards OFSTED’S requirements for Personal Development/SMSC and enhance the provision of PSHE, Citizenship and RE, as well as contribute to the promotion of British Values.

Our enhanced curriculum enables students to explore key themes through lessons, assemblies, tutor times, afterschool clubs, theme weeks, off time table days and special events as part of the student’s learning journey.

Our Ethos and Enterprise team

The Ethos & Enterprise Team come from different Academy roles and include members of the Leadership Team, Youth Workers, Relationships & Sex Education Specialists, and Family Support Workers.

Our specialist Ethos team work alongside all staff and students to champion our vision and values, helping students develop personal holistic life skills which will both support their academic progress and empower them with confidence for the real world. Additional external funding is provided by the Academy Foundation to help our Ethos Team assist to embed our vision and values through additional resources and experiences for students.

Why focus on values?

Our Grace vision puts our values, which are the heart of our Christian Ethos, as a growing focus through all of our curriculum. We believe these values create the right environment and culture for our students to develop their character to succeed in their academic and personal aspirations.

Studies find that a values and character-based education improves student and teacher wellbeing and relationships, accelerates academic motivation and diligence, transforms the teaching and learning environment and supports the engagement of families and the wider community.

As we focus on values students gain confidence, self-esteem and self-worth, their behaviour improves, they become more willing to get involved with decision making, they become more engaged with the school and they learn better self-control through thinking more intelligently.