Our Purpose
Our purpose is to lead the way with best practice in education to enable Huntingdon pupils to aim high, overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. Our children deserve the very best and we will relentlessly pursue excellence for them.
Our Vision
‘Individual Growth. Empowerment for All’
At Huntingdon Academy we believe in an enabling working environment which allows all of the school community to grow and be the best version of themselves; including pupils, staff, parents, governors – everyone.
To enable this to happen, we believe, that our values of listening, thinking, communication and collaboration should run through all aspects of school life, like a golden thread. Applying these values to our behaviours will enable people to have the ability and ambition to set themselves meaningful goals and have the resilience needed to overcome obstacles.
To understand how to communicate and collaborate with others enables people to be responsible members of society and be successful at work as well as in their personal life. We understand that all the school community should feel valued, know that they have an important contribution to make and feel empowered that their voice can make a difference.
Our Mission
Pupils actively think and discuss topics and issues that impact on either themselves, their school or society
- Teaching and Learning that empowers children and develops curious minds
- A curriculum that develops the whole child and provides outstanding outcomes
- A mentally healthy culture and climate in school where all stakeholders relentlessly pursue best practice
- Quality professional development resulting in outstanding practitioners who are specialists in their field
- Children are equipped with academic and emotional resilience to succeed
Our Values
Values are principles that we believe to be important.
Listening
We believe that listening is an important aspect of interpersonal relationships. We understand that when people feel listening to, they are often able to gain a deeper understanding of who they are. We believe in teaching our children the active, disciplined kind of listening that helps us as humans to examine and challenge the information we hear in order to improve its quality and quantity and thereby improve our decision making.
Thinking
We value thinking as we believe it is the most important thing that people can do. It is our capacity for thinking that defines us humans and sets us apart from other animals, plants and living organisms. Specifically, it is our capacity for conceptual thought, which is our ability to discern similarities and differences between real-life things and create mental categories in our mind. Thinking is the way we figure things out and make sense of the world. This is a necessary step before establishing goals, values and strategies for achieving them. Thinking is the only way to achieve knowledge and therefore know what to do and how to live.
Communicating
We value communication and believe that being able to effectively communicate is perhaps one of the most important of all life skills. It is what enables us to pass information to other people, and to understand what is said to us. By teaching our pupils to become more effective speakers, we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them. Good communication is an essential tool in achieving productivity and maintaining strong relationships at all levels. Developing effective speaking skills is a route to social mobility and empowers people to find their voice to succeed in life.
Collaborating
We value collaboration as when a group of people come together and contribute their expertise it is for the benefit of a shared objective, project or mission. We believe that collaborative learning develops higher-level thinking skills and boosts confidence and self-esteem. Through collaborative working, our pupils will learn how to work with various types of learners and develop their leadership skills.
Values, Behaviours and Skills
We can apply our values to our behaviours. If we keep applying our values to our behaviours then we can develop skills that are in line with our values. These skills can help us be successful in life and in our careers.
Value: I value listening
Behaviour: When people are talking I focus on what they are saying and I don’t interrupt.
Skill: I am a skilled listener
Impact on my life: I am able to understand how the world works and different people’s perspectives and opinions. This helps me negotiate and problem solve and maintain healthy relationships.
Careers that need skilled listeners:
- Mental Health Counsellor
- Judge
- Social Worker
- Psychologist
- Clergy
- Air Traffic Controller
- Physician
- Lawyer