Christian Values and Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education

Our Christian Values as a Church School

The School's values seek to underpin the Christian belief that we are all God's people and that we all matter.  We endeavour to nurture excellence in all that we do; both in our learning and through our citizenship.  We believe that everyone within our school community should be valued and treated with love and respect and that each of us has a right to grow and become the best we can be. Likewise, we believe that we each have a responsibility to show respect and tolerance towards each other.  Our shared values have been developed and are shared by the whole school community. They are central to what we believe within school and permeate our daily work and interactions, relationships and decisions.  With these values and our belief that we have a responsibility to give our best in all we do, our children are helped to prepare for their life long learning journey.

CURIOSITY

Curiosity is a core value in our school because the Bible teaches us to find the truth, to openly ask questions, actively wonder and to understand the world and each other.

Jesus encourages us to ask questions just as he did as a child in the temple and invites us to deepen our knowledge by thinking about the parables. Jesus tells us that "I have come so people may have life in all it's fullness" John 10:10.  Curiosity in our school means to have a proper understanding of the significance of our thoughts, words and actions at school and beyond.

COMPASSION

Compassion is a core value in our school because the Bible teaches us to love one another and to show kindness and empathy. Jesus showed us through his own example and his teachings, how to trust in God, to support one another through difficult times and to offer forgiveness.

Jesus showed us compassion through the story of The Good Samaritan and proved his compassion for us when he died on the cross so that we can be forgiven. Compassion in our school means listening and understanding each other, supporting others who might be struggling, offering forgiveness and showing up with kindness in our hearts. St Paul says "Be compassionate and kind to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you". Ephesians 4:32

COURAGE

Courage is a core value in our school because the Bible is rich in stories of courage; from Mary's courage in facing the unknown, to Jesus giving up his life for us. Jesus teaches us to be courageous by showing how to challenge ourselves to be the very best version of ourselves. 

David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged....He (God) will not fail you". 1 Chronicles 28:20.  In our school this means that we use our Emerald power to have a go and recognise when something goes wrong. It means knowing when to do the right thing and tell the truth. It means to stand by your friends and your beliefs, as well as having courage to question. We always try to find another way to solve a problem when something gets tricky.

Collective Worship

As a Church of England school, our worship reflects some of the rich traditions of Anglican prayer and worship. When planning worship it is necessary for us to include aspects of this tradition so that pupils’ growing maturity contributes to a broadening and deepening of their spiritual experience and understanding.

Collective worship is an integral part of the life of our school community. In providing a daily act of worship we are conforming with the law and our trust deed. In the first place Collective Worship gives expression to and the opportunity to reflect on certain values and experiences. These values and experiences are a way of demonstrating Christian spirituality. These are: wonder and awe; joy; paying attention and listening; humility; interiority and stillness; silence; trust; selflessness; peace and harmony with others; communion with God and others; perseverance; healing and wholeness; gratefulness; kindness, compassion and empathy for others and the experience of God’s unconditional love for each person.

Collective Worship happens daily in a number of ways. We come together as a whole school and in Key Stage groups and classes. There is always time to reflect and pray – to be still and have time to think. Children take an active part in our Collective Worship, either by writing and sharing prayers, acting out Bible stories or contributing through music and song. Collective Worship themes for a half term or term, the weekly focus and the music we will listen to are always shared with the school community and we ask ‘big questions’ each week to help us reflect and think about ourselves, others, the beauty around us and the beyond – the more transient questions that give rise to discussion and exploration.

We are always more than happy to have visitors to our Collective Worship to join with us during this special and important time in the week where we come together.