16/09/22

Value of the Month - We are Welcoming!

As we welcome our TPS community back to school for another academic year, we consider what it is to be welcoming.

At home or at a friend's house you may have seen a mat in the porch or inside the front door with the word ‘welcome’ on it. This means that you want people who come to your house to know that your family want them to be there and that they are your guest.

So the value of the month this month is ‘We are welcoming' because we want every child to know that they are a valued part of our school community.

So how do we ensure that everyone who comes to Tadworth feels welcome?

1. You look at them. This may seem obvious, but eye contact really matters. if you had someone in your house but you ignored them and never looked at them they would be very uncomfortable and would probably want to leave. Now being stared at is not very nice and so we're not talking about ‘uncomfortable looking’ but noticing someone. We are saying I can see you. I am noticing you. You matter.

2. You learn their name. All of us feel valued when someone uses our name. If you meet someone you don’t know it can be easy to forget their name and one trick is to try and use their name a few times when you first meet them (without sounding silly!) as a way of remembering it. If it is a name that you find difficult to say no one minds being asked whether you have their name correct or not. If it takes a few goes, that’s fine.

3. You talk to them. You probably want to start by asking someone a few questions like: “How are you doing?” “How are you feeling?” “Can I help you?” If you can, find out what interests they have. What they are good at and if they have family at the school. it will help you to build up a picture of what they like and you may find that you have things in common or more things you'd like to find out about.

4. You practise kindness. You can look at them, find out their name and talk to them but they will soon pick up on whether you are being kind to them. Kindness involves doing nice things that will help them feel part of our community. Try and remember how you felt when you were new to something and what would have helped you. It’s a simple rule that has worked well all around the world: ‘Treat someone else the way you would like to be treated’.

If we all did that, we would be the most welcoming school in the land.

Now you are set, who can you make feel ‘welcome’ today? NP

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