The Billericay School

Shine: Our Character and Culture Curriculum

Our Aim: Building confident citizens who will contribute positively to society

It is without contention that our students are dealing with a life and a world that holds very different challenges to those even their parents would have faced. Some of them are unprecedented as technology and fast pace change ever develops. Our school's values of curiosity, aspiration and success have been newly created by our school community and we want to embrace these amongst a shared mission to equip our students to be incredibly successful in life. By supporting students to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. So that they can more readily embrace the opportunities and choices before them both now and and in the future. Developing students equipped to take on all the challenges that their 4000 or so weeks on earth will bring,  thinking critically and being able to reflect on their own morals and ethical viewpoints to craft the life they wish for.

The Sutton Trust research identified skills that are increasingly seen as important to children's wider development: 'essential life skills' such as confidence, social skills, self-control, motivation and resilience. These are the attitudes, skills and behaviours that are thought to underpin success in school and work, and include the ability to respond to setbacks, work well with others, build relationships, communicate effectively, manage emotions, and cope with difficult situations. (Cullinane and Montacute, 2017)

This is Year 1 with a soft launch and will be fully ready to roll from 1 September 2024. We have named it 'Shine’ because that is exactly what we want every student to do, both at school with us and when they leave us. We want them to be able to navigate the pressures of living within a world that social media falsely shapes and where they feel those daily pressures to be, have and do what ‘everyone else has and is doing’. A world that can be lonely, where communities have shrunk into themselves somewhat, where friendships sometimes are harder to find and keep and where the idea of a ‘job for life’ is an idea for most, of the past. We want them to be able to figure out what they really want, the person they want to be, the challenges they want to face and conquer and the life they ultimately want to build for themselves, on their own terms.  This is an ambitious goal and initiative, only together can we build these future citizens confident in themselves that will contribute positively to society with the potential to be the future prime ministers, the charity workers, the doctors, surgeons and nurses, the entrepreneurs and the change makers, the architects, teachers, astrophysicists, mums, dads and homemakers of the future. Capable of thriving and in turn building the generations that will follow them. 

• Our ‘Reading School’ and literacy support programmes.

• Cultural capital is woven throughout our curriculum.

• Our ‘No Passengers’ teaching and learning focus means every child aims high.

• Our cross-curricular initiatives

• Participating in our wide range of school trips, visits and internal events

• Our Billericay Careers Programme

• Our Pastoral Programme

• School competitions and challenges

• Our teachers specialist careers and ‘next steps’ advice

• Our Student Leadership programmes (Prefects, Sport Leaders and Ambassadors)

• Our Rewards and Recognition Programme

• Our Honours Assemblies

• Our Shine Scholar Sessions and badges

• Home learning support, Study club and our digital learning platforms

• Reading recognition: Accelerated Reader and Word Millionaire  

• The Billericay Adventure Programme and Duke of Edinburgh

• Our Student Leadership Programme

• Enrichment: attending or running after school, breakfast and lunchtime clubs

• Representing our school through sports, drama, primary and academic events

• Jack Petchey Awards and debate and public speaking competitions

• Our Ambassador, Prefect and Senior Prefect opportunities.

• Our PD Academic and Pastoral Programme (British Values, SMSC, PSHE and RSE)

• Our Inclusion Initiative: we are #strongertogether

• Student Forums (Pride/Life/Islamic Forum/RED, Community, Student Council)

• Our Ambassador, Prefect and Senior Prefect opportunities.

• Helping others through being a ‘buddy’, reading mentor or through social clubs

• Our Year 8 ‘Community Year’

• Our Pastoral Programme (Including Physical and Mental Health focuses)

• Our SMSC and PSHE curriculums (spiritual, moral, social and cultural)

• Our taught specialist curriculum, including Science, PE and Food.

• Our wide range of Sport Clubs and opportunities to earn Sporting Colours and to become a Sports Leader

• Our Billericay Adventure Programme enrichment activities and challenges

Shine: Our Character and Culture Curriculum