Nurturing Success

Do you know our school motto - and what it means to us?

'Nurturing Success' is more than a strapline, it encaptures our ethos and approach to learning at Cameron Vale and is the driving factor as to why myself and so many of our teachers choose to teach here.

Step through our door and see the teaching staff in action, the ethos of the school is immediately palpable. Each teacher is unique and diverse in many ways, yet we all share a common goal: to put time and effort in to understanding each child, provide unforgettable learning experiences which inspire our children to believe in themselves, find out more and succeed in all that they do.

Outcomes of educational research surrounding the varying approaches which assure success have always caught my attention; some philosophies allude towards the efficacy of metaphorical carrots being dangled over children’s heads in the hope that they will strive, single-mindedly, towards a given goal, with little thought for themselves or those around them; the aim being, to get there first. As with the tallest sunflower, the battle may be won to be closest to the sun, yet, can they cope with the heat once they get there and how strong are their roots? It is, however, often those tall flowers which are blown over by the first gust of life’s challenging winds.

Our core values are constantly referred to as children move through the school: Be Collaborative, Be Courageous, Be Curious, Be Creative and Be a Critical Thinker; quite a list and many an adult would be lucky to be endowed with even one or two of these characteristics. By nurturing children’s character, we openly address children’s strengths, acknowledge those areas that need further development and equip them with a blueprint of behaviours for success in life. In the dictionary, character is defined as the sum total of the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual; it is what makes one different. Character is what separates the good from bad.

Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education. - Martin Luther King Jr.

Bridget Saul
Headteacher