Citizenship is a way of thinking and behaving. It is an outlook on life, a belief that we can make a difference in our world.
Education plays a vital role in helping children and young people recognize their contribution and responsibilities as citizens of this global community and equipping them with the skills to make informed decisions and take responsible actions.
At Provo Primary we give children the opportunity to develop their understanding of the need to tackle injustice and inequality, and to have the desire and ability to work actively to do so. Our outreach programmes have included assisting neighbouring schools in The Turks and Caicos Islands, Hurricane Relief and the Earthquake in Haiti. We support charities and organizations together with our local children’s home and a children’s home in Haiti.
Our celebrations of Earth day and other environment themed events help children to value the Earth as precious and unique, and to see the need to look after it.
Citizenship is part of our PSHCE curriculum. The teaching of personal, social, health, citizenship and emotional issues, and modelling good examples of these, is a large part of life at our school and we focus on:
- Developing children’s confidence, sense of responsibility and how to make the most of their abilities;
- Developing the children’s relationships with each other and ensuring they respect the differences between people;
- Preparing the children to play active roles as citizens within a community and their local environment;
- Encouraging the children to develop a healthier and safer lifestyle.
Learning ways of thinking about issues, conflicts and goals helps children in all areas of their personal lives and how they interact with others. Most importantly, it helps them to see the other side’s point of view and find ways to meet each other’s needs. The children learn that meeting each others needs is the secret to living happily together.
Throughout the year, the school participates in local community and worldwide charity events. Every last Friday of the month, we celebrate with a ‘Dress Down Day. This is a special non-uniform day and donations of a dollar or more go to help others in need.
Whenever possible, we allow our children to participate in discussions and be involved in the school’s decision-making processes, in order to give them the opportunity to make real choices and understand consequences. Their views are listened to and acted upon where appropriate. Our School Council was set up in 2008 and has achieved much in it’s first few years for our school, and our local and wider community. Learn more about our School Council.