Our vision statement

We want our children to love learning, to stand up for what they believe in, to try new things, to be kind, caring and inclusive to others and to have empathy and respect the world around them.  

Our six school Values

These underpin the caring characteristic of our school.  By developing a deep understanding of these values, our children will develop the character traits that enable them to flourish and be inspired and motivated to make a positive difference in the world.

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We Care Time

At Shakespeare Infant School we recognised that following 2 years of turbulence and disruptions children’s view of the world around them had been affected. Many of our children had spent half of their life living through the pandemic in a bubble. At Shakespeare Infants our school ethos is We Care. We decided to take this ethos and incorporate its ideals into a weekly session for the children. The aims of We Care time is to give the children a broader view of the world around them and help to build cultural capital. We first looked at key issues and concerns that affected the local community and the wider world around them to help the children begin to understand their rights and responsibilities.

We Care time takes place weekly in every year group. The planning for the sessions is done for the whole school but adapted by teachers to suit the individual needs of their own class. The sessions vary in the focus from talking about Children in Need to learning about Remembrance Day and the impact this has had on the present day. During We Care time we hook the children’s interest in with stories, photos, video clips and open ended questions. The children lead We Care time through discussion and debate to enable all children to have a voice. We encourage the children to investigate their own views but also show understanding and respect for others viewpoints. During some of the We Care time sessions the children have the opportunity to apply their understanding, such as helping to plant a tree when discussing how they can help to look after the planet.

Recently our whole school took part in a Community Week and we were fortunate to have Eastleigh Mayor visit us. Before he visited the children spent time in We Care Time to find out more about what his special role in the community is and also found about more about him as a person. The children really enjoyed getting to find out all about him and then meet him in person. 

Throughout We Care time we have made connections to British Values and to our school learning values to underpin the children’s understanding. We have found this has given the children real life examples of these so that these values become part of the children’s lives rather than something additional.

Since we have started We Care time sessions in September 2021 we have noticed the children have a much broader understanding of the world around them and awareness of worldwide issues. The children demonstrate care, understanding and respect for others. The children have greater confidence at speaking in a group about their views and opinions but also have improved their skills at listening to others and showing respect for an alternative opinion.

In the school office we display the We Care time focus of the week with any photos or quotes form the children so that anyone who comes into our school can see what we are thinking about. It is also a good reminder for the children throughout the week of what we have been discussing. Examples of this are added to the school newsletter so that parents can also share in this discussion. We have received feedback from parents that the children are transferring this knowledge and understanding to other environments.

We will continue to enhance our children’s cultural capital through We Care time and adapt it to the developing needs of our young children.

‘The children have developed their speaking and listening skills. They have developed turn taking skills and listening to other opinions.’ Mrs Crane – Year R leader

‘We Care Time has helped the children know about the wider world outside their sphere. They have a better understanding of what it is to be a caring citizen.’ Mrs Kesterson – Assistant Head

‘I know more about the world.’ Lyla Year 2 

‘We listen to others.’ Felix Year 2 

‘We find out more about history. I know that Martin Luther King stood up to others for what he believed.’ Milly Year 2

‘We learn about treating everyone the same.’ Amelia Year 2

‘We learn how to look after others. We take turns to talk.’ Hayley Year 1

‘We think about people in other countries.’ Riley Year 1