James Hamilton Academy: Values education
James Hamilton Academy is a six-year, non-denominational, co-educational comprehensive school in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire. The roll is presently 789, but the school has the capacity for 1050. It has two associated nursery schools, three primary schools and one associated special school within the Learning Partnership.
Teacher profile
Gillian Pryce is a teacher of English and a PT Pupil Support. She has worked in James Hamilton Academy for 11 years. Here she talks about her motivation to begin to establish shared values across the school community:
‘As an English teacher my subject is explicitly linked with values and citizenship education. However the more I think about the area (and the more courses I attend!), the more it becomes clear that these ideas are the concern of every teacher, regardless of their individual subject discipline. In fact for me, they have given me the motivation to stay in teaching and remind me of why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place. As a PT Pupil Support it is clear to see that many things affect the learning opportunities and capabilities of pupils. Many of these opportunities are shaped by what pupils, staff and parents value.
Citizenship is about belonging and valuing learning in order to be a responsible citizen, a confident individual, and an effective contributor. ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ was the collective cry!
Two things have become clear to me.
- The promotion of values and citizenship education underpins attainment and achievement, and I believe the success of other areas such as enterprise education and health education depend on it too.
- Establishing shared values in a school can be a starting point for creating an atmosphere where all pupils, parents and staff can work together to create a successful learning and teaching environment.'
