Ethos is the Greek word for character. Descended from the root word ethics, it is used to describe the beliefs, principles, values, codes and culture of an organisation. It is ‘the way we do things around here’, the unwritten (and sometimes written) rules, the moral character of a particular organisation.
James Kerr, Legacy, 2013
We aim to provide a culture that supports our students in developing their character to its fullest potential and to achieve excellence across a broad range of academic curricular and co-curricular programs.
We encourage the individual and celebrate as a collective. We understand that our achievements reflect positively on us all, our achievements represent. Represent our academy, represent our parents and families and represent our individual character.
We have unapologetically high expectations – and as a result our students succeed personally, and we are proud.
Partnership
Parents and teachers are each other’s greatest allies. Only through a close and mutually supportive relationship between the academy and the parent or carer can we provide the optimum environment for our young people to reach their potential. Every conversation, every interaction at school and in the home shapes young minds and opinions.
There is an old African proverb: It takes a village to raise a child.
This means that an entire community of people must interact with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment. We all look out for our young people, we all care deeply about their social, emotional, spiritual and academic development.
Academic Excellence
“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”
Aristotle.
Excellence is a process of evolution, of cumulative learning, of incremental improvement. Our curriculum is carefully planned over a seven-year progression to ensure our students arrive at academic endpoints in peak condition for public examinations and with the necessary study skills. As a result, our students consistently outperform their peers nationally. Our teachers are highly trained professionals delivering the most efficient methods to make sure learning is optimal. We deliver a broad and balanced curriculum underpinned by knowledge to make academic success a by-product of high-quality teaching and learning. Our students are challenged daily with expert explanation, modelling, questioning and feedback ensuring academic excellence can be achieved by all.
Character
“Our values decide our character; our character decides our value.” James Kerr.
Personal discipline
- Respect – for self and others
- Determination – to succeed
- Resilience – a commitment to personal development in spite of setbacks
Personal discipline is not expecting somebody else to do your job for you. It teaches you not to expect things handed to you and even sometimes, in order to succeed, to do things now when you really ‘want to do it tomorrow’.
At Mascalls personal discipline underpins our character, we value respect, determination and resilience and understand that the combination of those characteristics, applied daily make success a repeatable experience.
Culture
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
Benjamin Franklin.
Personal development
- High expectations – of self and of others
- Continual improvement – steps to success
- Celebrate success – big or small
We are all caretakers of our legacy, as students continue their journey with us they are encouraged to build on the successes of our past and aspire to new standards for our future. Students and staff, as leaders, drive and insist on an environment which promotes the behaviours needed for success at school and beyond. At Mascalls we create a culture for personal development – through high expectations, a commitment to continual improvement and through celebrating our many successes. We celebrate our achievements and learn from our mistakes knowing that our collective character drives culture, our reputation and turns it into something we can be proud of.
Area of Excellence – Creative Arts
Our area of excellence reflects our commitment to a broader curriculum and the many ways success can be achieved. The skills required to be a success in creative arts lead to further success and can be applied across the curriculum. Teamwork, creativity, performance and presentation are highly sought after in the modern workplace, we develop them here. From shows and exhibitions, to competition and collaboration every student is encouraged to make the most of every opportunity to continue their personal development throughout their time here at Mascalls.