ABSTRACT
Schools will describe their ethos in different ways but the essential spirit of an institution stems from its core values and the way those values are interpreted in practice. Most schools have relatively full mission or vision
statements. A good mission statement can lead to a simple set of core values for which there will be simple but powerful indicators. These indicators focus on the way individuals are valued and the way in which learning is valued and understood. This provides visitors to the school including other young people, parents and inspectors with first-hand evidence about the things that the school holds dear. Some schools, as we noted earlier, are devising citizenship manifestos that set out clearly and imaginatively for pupils and parents precisely what is on offer from the school. This development could prove helpful for everyone and is worth monitoring over the immediate years ahead.
