The Christian vision at Bitterley school inspires the whole school community to engage in social action and to be courageous advocates for change in the local, national and global community.

To have a secure understanding of what courageous advocacy is, it is important for all the children to look at courageous advocates across the globe, both past and present, that have faced injustice and overcome barriers in order to help others for the greater good.  Educating for courageous advocacy must embody an ethos of action-taking, challenging injustice and becoming agents of change in the transformation of ourselves, our relationships and our communities from the local level to the global.

“Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless” Proverbs 31:8

Our curriculum incorporates courageous advocates, such as Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Walter Tull, amongst many others, where children consider reflections on what injustice some of these courageous advocates have faced and how they changed the world for the better. 

Our Christian Values (Love, courage and strength) and British Values (Rule of Law, Tolerance, Democracy, Mutual Respect and Individual Liberty) ensure that opportunities to discuss current world issues, to challenge injustice and to engage in activities that can bring about change are always present.

Our children have an excellent grasp on the meaning of belonging to a local and global community and the sense of responsibility that comes with belonging. Thereby developing their ability to empathise and make a small sacrifice to benefit others. Together we consider the beauty and fragility of our environment, the actions we take, and the impact these actions may have on the well-being of everyone. Our school community and curriculum actively embraces a responsibility for the world in which we live. Our Christian values and British values ensure that opportunities to discuss current world issues, to challenge injustice and to engage in activities that can bring about change are always present, such as:

• Anti-Bullying Week
• Internet Safety activities
• British Values Day
• Equality: learning about people from different cultures who have faced adversity
• Remembrance activities
• Black history month
• National days of commemoration i.e. VE Day
• Curriculum topics including rainforests, deforestation, and endangered animals

We have a long tradition of supporting charities.  We aim to inspire courageous advocacy and instil our Christian values in the whole Bitterley school community.  This includes participating in, as well as organising, fundraising to benefit a wide range of causes, including locally, nationally and globally.  Some of these include:

• Non-uniform days for Children in Need, cancer charities, Air ambulance etc.
• Children led cake sales for charities
• Sponsored events for local charities e.g. NSPCC childhood mile
• The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal
• Harvest Festival food donations
• Cake sale for local MacMillan Cancer support
• Community music concert

Cultural Diversity

We have also had a focus in school about the importance of respecting others and understanding that everyone is different as individuals. Having a strong self-identity is encouraged and showing tolerance of others is vital.

We have used different books to support the children to develop their understanding of this.

Black History Month

We have been learning about people who have made positive contributions to the world. As a school we have taken the time to do research into the backgrounds or find out more about black people who have made a difference to the UK.

We decided to find out about the important people Mae Jeminson, Mo Farah and Lilian Bader

Courageous Advocacy Projects

As we have progressed through our journey we have thought about how our actions impact our community. This has led to a variety of projects which have been led by pupils.

Mighty Oaks spotted our school could be a greener place. They completed a litter pick in our local community and work an article in the school news letter sharing our findings and encouraging people to put their litter in the bin.

This led to exploring litter within our school. We soon discovered we needed to convince the classes to reduce, reuse and recycle. We invited Veolia into school to talk about how the lorries recycled our school waste. This only works if the items are placed into separate bins. We wrote an email to the council and they provided us with blue paper bags, food waste caddies and black tubs for plastic. We were also given a compost bin for the spiritual garden. 

During our walk around the village we explored our local play park. We discovered this area does not have access for disabled children. We have written to our local MP however due to recent election we are waiting for a response. We have also written to the village hall committee who are keen to work alongside Mighty Oaks to develop this play area this term.