At Castel, we are relentlessly positive and irresistibly optimistic. In all our endeavours, in all aspects of school life, we look for the best, we see the best and we find the best in all people and situations. We see difficulty and challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow. Our staff enjoy their work and are always looking to improve their pedagogy. Our pupils enjoy and value the education they receive at Castel. They understand that a positive attitude and a good work ethic are of great benefit to themselves, both now and in their adolescent and adult life.

At Castel, communication is key to all we do. We communicate clearly, openly, honestly, regularly and widely. We know that we are strongest and most effective when every member of our school community understands our vision and is pulling in the right direction. All our staff understand, build, work towards and sustain our vision. We have a responsibility to share this vision with parents and carers, families, visitors, external agencies, partners of the school, feeder schools and any other people and organisations the school comes into contact with. All our stakeholders know what this school stands for and what it is trying to achieve.

We have a culture of hard work, respect, good manners, team-work, resilience and innovation. Staff treat pupils with firmness, fairness and consistency. Pupils treat all staff and their peers with courtesy and respect. We use our school values program to educate and develop these dispositions and characteristics within our pupils. We do not leave it to chance or just hope that they develop them themselves. We are proactive about turning our pupils into the type of young people we wish them to be.

At Castel, we innovate our provision, practices and systems. Our innovations are evidence-based and research-led but we marry that with our own context and our own knowledge and professional experience. Staff are empowered to try new ideas and then share what they have discovered or learnt.

Behaviour at Castel is exemplary. Pupils have been taught and understand that they are free to choose their behaviour but that they are not free from the consequences of that choice. Positive behaviour is recognised and celebrated; negative behaviour has a clear sequence of consequences, of which the whole school community is both aware and supportive. We have put policies and procedures in place that mean there is equality and consistency in how all pupils and situations are dealt with. We understand that there are often reasons for negative behaviour but not excuses. We work closely and personally with pupils to help them modify, improve and develop their behaviour. We then celebrate their successes with them.

The adults in our school relentlessly model the behaviour we want to see in our pupils. We are kind, polite, respectful, hard-working, considerate and keen to improve.

Our pupils love coming to school. They are impeccably well-behaved, respectful, polite, grateful, empathetic and friendly. They understand that hard work brings its own reward and have our school values embedded firmly in their minds.

From a young age, our pupils understand the importance of following rules, having a strong work ethic, listening to and respecting authority, understanding and accepting differences alongside knowing their own mind. They work hard to improve in all lessons and take pride in the work they produce. They enjoy and benefit from a wide range of lessons, opportunities and experiences that enrich their lives and develop their cultural capital. Whatever their social or economic background, we give them an education that enables them to become successful learners, effective contributors, responsible citizens and confident individuals.

Staff at Castel are hard-working, flexible, reliable, self-motivated, keen to improve, professional and trustworthy. They keep pupils at the front and centre of their work and have their pupils’ best interests at heart. They enjoy their job and have a great sense of humour. We provide time and space for staff to relax, reflect, be themselves with their colleagues and have moments when they can be less serious. Joy and laughter is an important part of life at Castel Primary.

Staff always support each other and work closely in teams for the benefit of the school. No one works just for themselves; no-one is left out. Staff are encouraged to try new things and take risks in their teaching. They have licence to be creative and enjoy freedom with their lessons. However, this comes with an accountability for pedagogical justification.

Our school serves, and is an integral part of, our local community. We recognise that we are also part of our global community. Strong links with many people and organisations in our community have been formed; these relationships are mutually beneficial. We use many different people and organisations as a resource for pupils who need different experiences and provision to fulfil their potential and make progress. We strive to make pupils aware of their place in their community and the wider world. Although Guernsey is a small island, we take steps to ensure that children are aware of, and educated about, the myriad of different cultures, races, religions and ethnicities that may be different from their own which they will come across throughout their lives.

Relationships at all levels are friendly, honest, constructive and positive. Pupils, staff, parents and leaders work hard to maintain these relationships. Any problems, disagreements or conflicts are dealt with swiftly, with integrity and with respect.

The school has a strong and positive relationship with the parents and carers of our pupils. We understand that we work in partnership with them in order to provide the best possible outcomes for the pupils. The school and its staff enable the parents and carers to understand how the school works, why it works in that way and the role the families have in that work.

Our curriculum is well-planned, well-structured and clearly mapped. It teaches pupils key, important knowledge and is linked to the current research around memory and cognitive science. It is planned in such a way so that clear links are made and utilised to develop knowledge more deeply across subjects and year groups. Our curriculum gives all pupils a rich cultural capital. Through our lessons, we also teach our children vital skills and give them opportunities to practise, develop and improve these.

In assessment, we measure what we value; we don’t just value what we can easily measure. We use our assessments primarily to understand what our pupils know and where their learning needs to go next. Our assessments are an integral part of working out how effective we are being as educators and whether our school-improvement initiatives are having the desired impact.

Our school understands that pupils are different in many ways. All our policies have a focus on ensuring pupils with SEND are treated with equity and consideration. We work to personalise our curriculum and provision so that all pupils, whatever their needs, are able to achieve and progress. Additional support is deployed rapidly, effectively and with clarity of purpose. We are adaptable and flexible in how we meet the needs of our pupils and use a wide range of approaches, methods and services to ensure that all our pupils are included, happy, successful and part of our learning community.

Our CPD for staff regularly focuses on inclusive practices and how we ensure our curriculum offer is accessible and suitable for all. We ensure that pupils with additional needs, and families of those pupils, feel part of the community and a sense of belonging at our school.

Staff at Castel are always aiming to improve. We openly recognise, acknowledge and discuss our areas for improvement and strive relentlessly to get better at our job. CPD is personalised, regular and useful. Both the school and staff have a responsibility to address and work on their own professional development. Staff work hard at this not because they have to, or because they are asked to, but because they want to. We share our good practice and help others get better, too. Conversations around our performance and practices are open, frank, candid and honest.

Our weekly staff meetings are used to move teachers forward in their practice and move the school forward towards its vision.

Technology is integral to what we do and how we work at Castel. We use it innovatively to do a better job, be more efficient and to make our lives easier. We keep up to date with new ideas and possibilities and we ensure our staff are well-trained with the technology we ask them to use.

Our pupils are taught to utilise technology to facilitate their learning. Pupils with SEND use technology in a variety of ways to enable them to access the curriculum and have their work scaffolded. All pupils are taught to be responsible, safe and respectful when online and they are made aware of both the potential benefits and dangers of having an online presence.

Child safety and welfare is paramount in all we do. There is not one aim above, or more important than, keeping our pupils safe and protected. We ensure that the staff are well-trained and up-to-date with their qualifications. We have systems in place for reporting concerns or issues that are well known, shared widely and monitored for efficiency and effectiveness regularly. The Head teacher is the School Child Protection Officer.