The school motto is courtesy, enterprise, endeavour.

Courtesy needs a deeper understanding than 'manners' and it's an important aspect of respectful living - that can be a challenge to stick with. Courtesy is treating others in the way we expect and wish to be treated. The development of pleasant social skills and the ability to form constructive relationships are essential for life and work. There are standards that are obvious to everyone.

Someone who is courteous is:
. polite
. nice
. prompt about saying 'thank you' and 'please'
. smiley (and not whiney)
. able to listen, not just out of politeness
. good at taking time when dealing with someone

They are well liked by most people and are not easily pushed around. They rise above what a crowd might be doing and aren't selfish.

Amongst other things, they:
. treat friends, relatives and people they know with warmth and respect, look them in the eye in conversations and listen to what they have to say, asking questions to better understand their perspectives or their concerns;
. don't insult other people, mock them or act unkindly; if they have a criticism they say it to the person's face rather than behind their back;
. don't pry into other people's affairs or push for information that another person does not wish to give;
. wear clothing or styles that are suitable and will not offend even though it might be individual;
. take part in conversations without dominating, demanding attention or being too loud;
. help people who require assistance and encourage quieter, shyer people to take part;
. hold doors open for older people and do not push in front of smaller people;
. eat sitting down, don't get food everywhere and do not make chomping noises;
. arrive promptly and settle to take part in a group activity rather than e.g. continuing a conversation with their neighbour;
. do not sink to sending messages that are hurtful for 'entertainment';
. are not too noisy in a place where it might disturb others.

Courtesy is not always easy but it costs nothing and profits everybody. You know that if someone pushes in to a queue, maybe waiting for dinner, that this spreads annoyance and hatred. When you get older this is true if someone drives aggressively and endangers other people's lives. If you are polite, take your place in a queue, wait for other people or hold a door for someone it makes them (and you) feel good; if you can smile whilst doing it - so much the better.

Enterprise is working hard at something or other, with imagination - a task or a project that may:
. involve planning and refining
. take time to complete
. be complicated
. have some risk (of failure) attached.

As with the Star Trek motto ('To boldly go.') it involves working actively on a project or task in a way that is purposeful or personally demanding; especially one that requires a lot of effort.

Opportunities to participate in school activities are available through coursework or extended tasks and a range of extracurricular opportunities. Recently, for example, you could get involved in raising money for charity through the 'ping-pong-athon', improve or learn how to ski (if you are in Y10), attend higher level maths SAT preparation sessions during the holidays - all requiring an individual effort. You show enterprise when you deliberately push yourself to work harder than you normally do or when you are prepared to embark on a new, initially difficult, venture. Revising for exams can be viewed as an enterprise.

In specific work-related enterprise projects, students are challenged to see who can make the most profit from a small business venture. Some came up with washing staff cars and several groups thought about and sold homemade cakes and biscuits. In this project the students soon learned real business lessons about careful pricing and the need for market research to see what people are interested in buying as well as how much they are prepared to pay for it.

John Healey, the Labour member for Wentworth, has a particular interest in promoting the initiative and application required to be enterprising. He recently commented:

"The driving forces of the modern economy are innovation, competition, skills and enterprise."

An enterprising person will:
. want to become actively involved
. have many ideas which are creative and interesting
. be inspired and regularly enthusiastic
. not rely on others to motivate themselves
. be in-tune with your community and the environment
. be both a creator and finisher, with a determination to succeed
. be a hard-worker, persistent, sticking with a task rather than giving up
. want to be successful yet have a focus on succeeding with others
. be able to generate fine ideas
. not be put off by problems, seeing them as hurdles to overcome.

The word is very similar in meaning to enterprise but is more to do with hard slog and a more individual effort, maybe with less obvious or less immediate gains. The word seems to come from the French, metre en devoir, which means to "put in your duty". This indicates the need for someone to take responsibility for their own actions and efforts. It's the opposite of 'CBA'!

Endeavour means:
. Trying hard to do something, or at least attempt it
. Exerting yourself
. Striving to start and accomplish some task or other
. Giving it a good try, having a crack at it, giving it a whirl, having a stab at it
. Getting your head down and keeping a focus on the task
. A serious and sincere effort
. Viewing success as only a step away
. Not cheating or cutting corners
. An earnest and honest effort, whatever your ability

In the spirit of Olympism that the school wishes to associate itself with, there is an encouragement to meet or exceed your personal 'best', always giving a task your best 'shot' and taking pains to work as well as you can for a fairly long period of time. Endeavour can also involve being bothered to sort out things you may not have fully understood or finished. It involves giving time to something and not thinking that "It's beyond me."