School Ethos

WHOLE SCHOOL POLICY BSC POL 005.

Revision 01 : Sept 2012 Author: Dr J Scarth

School Ethos

SCHOOL ETHOS This Statement has been approved by the Board of Directors and applies to all staff and pupils attending The British School in Colombo, including our EYFS provision.

BSC has provides high quality education for more than 1200 pupils. Established in 1994, the School keeps its traditional values and at the same time offers a varied and challenging curriculum which prepares pupils for the modern, international world.

The teaching staff are all highly qualified, experienced and enthusiastic specialists in their individual subjects. Pastoral care and the social, spiritual and moral development of our pupils is central to everything we do. Staff are fully involved in the leadership and personal enrichment programmes that we provide.

Parents also play their part at the school, regularly meeting as a British School Community Council (BSCC) to arrange not only social functions, but to provide refreshments and support at School events.

We are a busy, purposeful school and strive to ensure that everyone gets involved.

Each family receives regular Newsletter to help guarantee that everyone knows what is happening and what has been achieved at BSC.

1. Our Vision The British School in Colombo should be the school of first choice for the discerning parent in the international school arena in Sri Lanka, offering students a broad and balanced education in an environment which compares favourably with the best international standards, and which prepares them to face the challenges of the global world confidently and effectively.

2. Our Mission To deliver excellence in academic, extra-curricular and pastoral care to students through a team of highly motivated, competent local and expatriate staff, functioning within a state-of-the-art infrastructure. The British School in Colombo strives to model itself on and be inspired by the best of the British and international independent sectors and as a result incorporates many management and evaluation tools developed in those systems. Thus, the British School in Colombo aims to provide the best possible educational experience for its students.

3. Our Motto - Educating Mind, Body and Soul 4. Our Aims The school aims to ensure that students are allowed to develop at their own pace and to the very best of their abilities. We try to develop in all students the knowledge and skills to make them candidates for schools, universities and employment anywhere in the world. We also seek to provide all students with the widest range of opportunities to build the confidence, independence and character necessary for their development 2

into mature adults. This is to be achieved in an atmosphere where all students are protected and supported but are also allowed to learn from their mistakes. Taking part, trying ones best and supporting one another by recognising the needs and opinions of others are all keys to our aim of creating fully mature and independent young people.

5. Our Philosophy and Core Values a) Our philosophy is to offer academically willing children a vigorous and stimulating programme in order to develop in them a vision of their own worth and the capacity to become active, caring and concerned citizens of the world. We also want to educate and prepare them to be future leaders and to raise the standards of education in this country. b) Our core values include: self-discipline; respect for and empathy with others; honesty; courage; a sense of honour, duty, leadership; reliability; efficiency; initiative; appreciation of aesthetic values; friendship; and nurture of potential. c) We must fulfil the need for a holistic education (the education of the whole person) and enable students to recognise the benefits of life-long learning. In particular we aim to  Enable students to realise and reach their full potential;  Identify and nurture their leadership qualities;  To encourage an outward-looking perspective and an understanding of international competition;  Ensure that our education should embrace moral values as well as intellectual and physical development and also promote recognition and appreciation both of shared values and of cultural diversity.

d) In order to recognise and respond to these aims, our pastoral system should identify and understand student needs and we should have a close integration of academic and pastoral care.

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