Every thriving school community has a heartbeat, something that unites the people within it, shapes its identity, and brings its values off the wall and into daily life. At Hastings in our Early Years and Primary School, that heartbeat comes in the shape of a small, soft, spiky friend: Hiccup the Hedgehog.
Hiccup is far more than a mascot, becoming a powerful symbol of who we are and who we want our children to become. Through him, our Hastings values, our 8 Learner Habits, and our behavioural mantra of Ready, Respectful, Safe all come to life in ways that are accessible, joyful, and memorable for young learners.

A hedgehog was chosen by our Primary student leaders and Hiccup was named by our reception students. The name alone has a valuable double meaning, the medical definition linked to a repeated sound from the throat and more importantly from a resilience perspective a small error, disruption or change that we can learn from and have to ability to overcome and successfully continue.

Living the Hastings Values Through Hiccup
Hastings School, Madrid emphasises four key dispositions that every student should develop:

Caring – valuing themselves and others.
Curious – developing passion for knowledge and understanding.
Successful – growing the attributes needed to fulfil their potential.
Globally‑Minded – becoming culturally and emotionally intelligent contributors to a just and sustainable world.

Hiccup helps students see these values in action. Hiccup joins a class, becoming the friendly champion of caring relationships, curious thinking, personal success through effort, and awareness of the wider world.

Children begin to understand not just what these values mean, but how they feel and look in their everyday interactions.

Hiccup and the 8 Hastings Learner Habits
At Hastings, learning habits are central to how children grow as thinkers, explorers, and collaborators.

The 8 Learner Habits taught across our whole school are:
Collaboration, Creativity, Curiosity, Empathy, Reflection, Resilience, Responsibility, Thinking.

Hiccup embodies each of these habits in child‑friendly ways:

Collaboration: Hiccup loves group tasks and celebrates teamwork.
Creativity: Hiccup encourages imaginative ideas and alternative solutions.
Curiosity: Hiccup models the joy of asking questions and exploring.
Empathy: Hiccup helps children recognise feelings and perspective‑taking.
Reflection: Hiccup supports end‑of‑lesson reflections. What did we learn? What next?
Resilience: Hiccup reminds students that mistakes help us improve.
Responsibility: Hiccup models taking care of materials, space, and each other.
Thinking: Hiccup promotes careful thinking, reasoning, and problem‑solving.

By associating these habits with a lovable character, learners find them easier to remember and more motivating to practise.

Ready, Respectful, Safe: Hiccup as a Behavioural Guide
While not external values, our internal behaviour mantra. Ready, Respectful, Safe is the backbone of daily school life.

Hiccup helps children understand and apply these expectations:

✅ Ready: Hiccup shows what it means to be prepared for learning, eyes on the speaker, tools ready, body calm.

✅ Respectful: Hiccup highlights respectful choices: kind words, listening well, sharing, taking turns.

✅ Safe: Hiccup models safe movement around school, safe play outdoors, and safe use of equipment.

Children see Hiccup not as an enforcer, but as a friendly, constant companion in making good choices. Also, Hiccup is a great way for students to reflect on their own or their group behaviours, staff just by asking “What would Hiccup of done?” helps to deescalate a situation and encourage reflective thought.

Building a Warm, Connected Community.

One of the most powerful contributions Hiccup makes is to the sense of belonging at Hastings.

Hiccup travels between classrooms, appears in assemblies, features in stories, joins celebrations, and sometimes even writes to children! In doing so, he becomes a shared symbol of our identity, something every child, regardless of age, background, or language, can connect with.

This is especially meaningful in our diverse, international community, where shared icons help bring children together.

A Little Hedgehog With a Big Purpose
Through Hiccup, our values become visible.
Our learner habits become lived.
Our behaviour expectations become joyful and understood.

Hiccup helps us build a learning culture where children feel safe, supported, inspired, and proud of themselves and each other.

At Hastings, Hiccup the Hedgehog reminds us that even the smallest characters can make the biggest impact, helping our children grow into caring, curious, successful, globally‑minded learners, equipped with learning and behavioural habits that will shape their futures.