Ethos
1. What does Ethos mean?
- The fundamental character or spirit of a culture: the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs and practices of a group or society.
- What we do, rather than what we say, feel or think, is the crucial element of ethos.
2. What is the Ethos of RMDS?
That every person is entitled to equal respect regardless of age, gender, nationality, identity, religious beliefs, social and cultural background or economic status.
3. How is it communicated in the school?
This ethos is expressed by how we interact and is guided by the four core principles which we share with other Educate Together schools.
They are:
- coeducational education
- multidenominational
- child centred
- democratically run
- being modelled every day in the way we operate, the way we conduct our business as a community and how we interact as individuals.
- inclusive to all, regardless of religion, race or creed enabling all children to participate in the life and work of the mainstream setting, whatever their needs.
- the policy of inclusion which means all learning together. Every member of the school community contributing in a real way.
- a team collaborative approach towards education.
- facilitating and keeping parents informed by beginning of year class meetings, team meetings, the regular newsletter and the school website.
- openness to new ideas and willingness to use expertise outside the teaching staff.
- celebrating children’s work, displaying it and inviting their parents in to see it.
- fostering mutual respect and courtesy and positive interaction between teaching, ancillary staff, parents and students.
- encouraging extra curricular activities and facilitating religious instruction outside school hours.
- the promotion of a happy, contented and fulfilling workplace for all.
- using best endeavour to manage the resources available to the school to help all children to develop to their full potential. These include teachers, SNAs and educational resources.
We believe that our diversity is a source of richness, which creates an ideal context, in which to provide primary school education.
