Vision and Ethos

At Northfield St Nicholas Academy we provide excellent opportunities for all children, enabling them to challenge themselves and strive for success in all areas of the curriculum. We create and provide an environment where curiosity is welcomed, enquiry is encouraged and excitement of learning is fostered and we can strive for excellence for all. This vision is at the core of everything we do – they underpin our teaching and learning strategies with the aim of preparing our students to be confident life-long learners.

We have the very highest aspirations for the children in our learning community and set high standards and expectations to challenge our children to be the best learners they can possibly be. We are unwavering in setting high expectations for the conduct of pupils and staff and are uncompromising in our ambition to improve the outcomes for all pupils at our school.

We have a broad and balanced curriculum which inspires our pupils to learn, where safeguarding is effective and pupils are listened to and tell us they feel safe and ask for help when they are worried. “To keep you safe and to help you learn” is our mantra.

Our school motto – Working together to achieve excellence for all – captures what we hope to facilitate for all our stakeholders, from pupils and their families to our staff and other learning partners in the wider community and to ensure children are ready for the next stage of their education at each transition point.

Excellence… in our achievements

So that all children at NSN make excellent progress while they are at the school.

Excellence… as learners

We are self-motivated, curious and tenacious with the confidence to ‘have a go’ and never give up.

Excellence… for our families and our community

We provide a welcoming environment and share responsibility with families to develop and support our community.

Excellence… in our relationships with others

We have consistently high expectations of, and care for, each other. We are polite, tolerant and respectful at all times.

Excellence… as staff and governors

We share collective responsibility for every learner and are united in our enthusiasm for learning.

Excellence… in our lives

We have high aspirations for ourselves and others, remaining positive in times of challenge and taking pride in each other’s successes. We want to be the best we can be. We are kind and we understand our rights and responsibilities to ourselves and others.

We teach children to ‘Look smart, to think smart, to be smart’. In this way we hope that our learners can become productive and useful citizens, reaching their potential at each step along the way.

We believe that it is our mission to ensure that our children:

> Develop their character / personality and confidence and acquire positive learning behaviours by engaging proactively with our 8 learning behaviours.

> Build knowledge and skills by being supported, guided and challenged through strong and clear academic guidance.

> Broaden their life skills and their experiences through our every day curriculum and additional Learning for Life experiences

> Are supported, challenged and nurtured through our Whole School Restorative Practice approach and our determination to ensure high expectations captured in our school mantras: Look Smart, Think Smart, Be Smart learners and to always Think Kind Thoughts, Have Kind Behaviour, Say Kind Words.

In everything we do we ensure that the school operates a policy of equal opportunities, regardless of gender, race, ability or religion.