At Berrywood, we actively promote pupils’ spiritual development by encouraging curiosity, awe, and reflection through rich texts and immersive experiences. Children explore the natural world through story spines such as Adoette, engage in outdoor learning activities such as welly walks and explore the school grounds to support their science, art and geography learning. Let’s Think English lessons use poetry, fiction, and drama to help pupils reflect on emotions, beliefs, and personal meaning. Assemblies and visits from key speakers provide further opportunities for children to pause, think deeply, and connect with ideas that shape their understanding of themselves and the wider world.
Moral development is fostered through discussions around values, choices, and consequences. Pupils explore themes such as consent, values, digital footprints, and misinformation, particularly in upper key stages. Assemblies address key issues like racism and tolerance, while PSHE units cover moral dilemmas, rights and responsibilities, and keeping safe. Projects linked to climate change—such as plastic pollution, rainforest deforestation, and the disappearing Arctic—encourage pupils to consider ethical implications and the impact of human actions on the planet.
We nurture social development by providing opportunities for collaboration, leadership, and community engagement. Pupils contribute to the School Council, take on responsibilities in Year 6, and work together to cook products with our specialist cooking teacher and Market team, selling them at our half-termly school Markets. In our workshop, children design and create items such as wooden owls, fabric notebooks, and hedgehog houses to share with the wider community. Our school art gallery showcases creative work that reflects our values and ethos, while projects like Austin’s Butterfly teach pupils to give and receive peer feedback and reflect on their personal skill development. Year 6 pupils also create collages and scrapbooks to celebrate and document their time at Berrywood, fostering pride and shared memories.
Our approach to cultural development ensures children appreciate diversity and understand different beliefs and traditions. Across key stages, pupils explore themes of belonging and community through Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism. Children in the Early Years learn about what makes them special and celebrate important events and people in their lives. Cultural festivals and global issues are highlighted in assemblies, and texts from varied backgrounds help pupils connect with stories beyond their own experiences. Singing assemblies feature a wide range of songs from different cultures, fostering appreciation for global traditions. Music units explore styles such as Indonesian Gamelan, Brazilian Samba, West-African drumming, and traditional Indian music, helping pupils understand how music reflects cultural identity and history.