St. Philip's Catholic Primary School is located in the Soho and Victoria ward and serves the parish of St. Philip Neri, Smethwick. Children also come to our school from many surrounding parishes and areas of Smethwick and beyond.

We are a multicultural school with a very strong Catholic ethos.

We have a nursery for children aged three and above, and one class in each of the year groups from Reception through to Year 6.

In total we have approximately 229 children including our nursery pupils.

Learning and Working together through Christ

The school has established a mission statement to reflect the ethos of the school. This is revisited each year to ensure that we have a shared vision and values. Our aims take account of all aspects of pupils' abilities and achievement. This includes their intellectual, social, emotional and physical development.

The school has a clear and positive ethos that is embodied in the school mission statement and aims. This mission statement is displayed in the school hall and in all classrooms. It drives whole school policy for pupils' personal and social development, relationships in the school and a consistent approach to support and respect.

This established ethos means that relationships within the school are good, visitors to the school are made to feel welcome and every effort is made to enhance the physical environment of the school. Additional time to welcome children in the morning allows pupils and staff time to interact before a prompt start to the school session.

The mission statement is also reflected in the schools regular assemblies. Assemblies take a variety of forms and pupils have opportunities to participate actively in them. Parents are welcome to attend assemblies. Assemblies are also used as an opportunity to show how the school values children's achievement in and out of school.

To develop everyone's full potential
by learning and working together through Christ

• Perseverance
• Co-operation
• Independence
• Enthusiasm
• Responsibility
• Purposefulness

How British Values are central to St. Philip’s values, ethos and mission:

Democracy: We actively promote and model democracy by:

• Providing our children with a broad knowledge of and promoting respect for public institutions and services eg. visits to Parliament, MP visits into school, visits to/from Police, Hospitals, Fire Service, Local Councillors, visits to town hall, debates.
• Teaching children how they can influence decision making through the democratic process eg. School council, suggestion boxes, Parliament workshops.
• Encouraging pupils to become involved in decision making processes and ensuring they are listened to in school eg. school council, open door policy for head and deputy, consultation groups, liaison between staff and pupils.
• Organising visits to the town hall and to Parliament.
• Teaching children how public services operate and how they are held to account eg. in Vocations week.
• Modelling how perceived injustice can be peacefully challenged eg. by teaching about inspirational figures such as Ghandi, Mandela, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King.

Rule of Law: We actively promote and model the rule of law by:

• Ensuring school rules are clear and fair eg. through our consistent behaviour policy.
• Helping children to distinguish right from wrong eg. by using the example of Christ when dealing with behaviour that is not acceptable.
• Promoting respect for the law and the basis on which it is made eg. through visitors such as PCSOs, Police, Councillors, MP into school.
• Helping children to understand that living under the rule of law protects individuals eg through our RE curriculum, through focus weeks, visitors.
• Having a behaviour policy that is linked to restorative justice eg. that is based in the Christian value of forgiveness.

Individual Liberty: We actively promote and model individual liberty by:

• Supporting pupils to develop their self knowledge, self esteem and self confidence eg. through our Catholic ethos, our way of treating people, by investing heavily in meeting the needs of all of the children, by providing equality of opportunity, by knowing and understanding the needs of all of the children.
• Encouraging pupils to take responsibility for their behaviour as well as knowing their rights eg. through linking rights with responsibilities, by having a fair and consistent behaviour management policy.
• Challenging stereotypes eg. visitors into school, disability awareness, anti bullying and anti racism learning, anti-bullying week, Black History month, vocations week.
• Implementing a strong anti bullying culture.
• Beginning to follow the UNICEF Rights Respecting School agenda.

Respect and Tolerance: We actively promote and model respect and tolerance by:

• Promoting respect for individual differences eg. through assemblies and masses, the RE curriculum, multicultural, multifaith weeks, through our Catholic ethos.
• Helping children to acquire an understanding of and respect for their own and other cultures and ways of life eg through Geography, Religious Education, Multicultural and multifaith weeks.
• Organising visits to places of worship eg. Church, Gurdwara, visits to a Jewish synagogue, Islamic Centre and Mosque in Birmingham, Hindu temple, Buddhist temple, visit to Holy Trinity Anglican Church.
• Openly discuss and celebrate the differences between people such as differences of faith, ethnicity, disability, gender and different family situations such as looked after children, young carers.