School aims and values: how to build a sense of belonging

Your school aims and values are key to making pupils feel safe and welcome.

School aims and values may differ from school to school. But one thing remains constant; your values matter. In fact, values help pupils understand the community they belong to, and what’s expected of everyone.

There are many ways to showcase your school aims and values. Some schools use large visual displays to share and celebrate theirs. Communal spaces are ideal for values displays. For example; reception areas, the school hall, canteen and even outdoors. Pupils will remember your values if they see them repeatedly in key areas.

Here we’ll share some example of how to showcase your school aims and values in key areas of your school. There’s also advice about how to include your pupils in the process of designing your values displays!

Head outdoors

Plumberow Primary Academy is located in Hockley, Essex. They incorporated their values in a colourful and eye catching outdoor mural. We transformed a large fence into a branded welcome wall.

Images show a diverse range of pupils happily learning. The school’s name and logo welcome visitors, while the school aims and values sit against a colourful backdrop, with the motto; “find your remarkable” alongside.

This fence mural is a great example of how to incorporate your values into a larger design. The welcome fence achieves multiple aims for the school. It builds a positive first impression for visitors, creates a sense of belonging for pupils and showcases the school’s identity to everyone in the community.

Make it local

St John and St James CE Primary School featured London landmarks in a values wall. This is a nod to their North London location.

The school’s six values are beautifully summarised in the school’s motto of “Ready. Respectful. Responsible.” We also branded the design with the school’s colours and logo.

The design is sure to build a strong sense of identity and pride in pupils. And it’s an effective backdrop to welcome prospective families to Open days, and other visitors to the school. A single wall space makes a big impact thanks to this colourful design. It shows that you don’t need loads of wall space to showcase your values in a big way!

Epitomise your values

Catholic values form the basis of education at Cardinal Wisemen Catholic School.

The school’s website reinforces the importance of their motto and values. It explains that; “the Cardinal Wisemen Catholic School believes in education for all. We aim to achieve this in a caring Catholic community based on the Gospel values of equality and justice. Our community seeks to follow the example and teaching of Jesus Christ to love God and help one another. We live by our motto: ‘All things for Christ’.”

We designed values Wall Art to bring their values to life. The design features famous people who epitomise each of their values. There’s also a description of each value and a colourful symbol to help with easy identification. The school opted to use half the vertical height of the wall to keep costs down. This is an effective way to achieve wow factor as it draws the eye upwards. The design brings colour to the corridors, whilst maintaining the look and feel of the existing space.

Involve your pupils

Downside Primary School involved their pupils when they wanted to represent and reflect their values. Pupils drew pictures of each value and submitted these into a school wide competition.

Images were selected and passed on to Promote Your School’s design team, who brought them to life as Values Wall Art. The school’s competition was a super way to create a sense of ownership over the school’s values. And it added some fun to the process of bringing them to life.

Now pupils can see their school values showcased against a calming sky backdrop. The images bring each value to life and are a useful frame of reference for all pupils, especially younger learners who may not be able to read. The location is ideal – a welcome wall situated right next to the front doors. So, anyone who arrives at the school will be greeted by this vibrant values wall.

A sporting chance

Our Lady & St Bede Catholic Academy found a clever way to tie their values into a sense of belonging for pupils.

They linked their school values to the very same types of values needed to succeed in sports. Each value is represented by a sport. Not only does this showcase the wide variety of sports on offer at the school. It also allows pupils to reflect on how their participation in sports reflects the school’s values.

This is a powerful way to create a sense of belonging and inspire pupils to work hard and aim high. In addition to the walls, we also created Wall Art for the doors. Directional arrows in the design draw the eye to the content. This will encourage pupils to walk alongside the values wall and engage with it in their own time. The mural is sure to spark discussion between peers and a sense of belonging for all pupils at the school.

Wall Art to reinforce your school aims and values

At Promote Your School, we create bespoke Wall Art for schools around the world. Our consultative service includes design, print and installation.

We’ll guide you through our design process so you get the exact end result you want.

Get in touch to arrange a free, no obligation consultation!