Christian Ethos, Vision & Christian Values
Christian Ethos, Vision & Christian Values
‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.’
John 15:5
Just as God loves us, we love one another.
Our curriculum meets the needs of the whole child.
We prepare our children to take their place in a diverse world.
The individual care our children receive allows them to feel safe and grow into confident, excellent people.
'Growing Together in God’s Love to Achieve Excellence'
Our School Christian values are: Trust, Hope, Friendship, Perseverance, Forgiveness and Peace.
The parable of the vine, reflects the importance of abiding in Christ. "I am the vine; you are the branches" explains the interconnectedness between God and humanity through Jesus, highlighting the importance of spiritual nourishment, dependence on God, and bearing fruit through faith. This aligns with the vision of nurturing each individual to grow in all aspects of life to achieve excellence —spiritually, emotionally, socially and academically.
Our vision at St Mary’s talks about God’s love. Because God loves us so much, God sent His Son, Jesus to suffer and die for our sins so we may have the promise of everlasting life.
Whilst Jesus was on Earth, He gave the great commandment to love God and love one another. The stories Jesus told and the example of His own life, compels us to see the individual and care for all. As a school we have taken inspiration from Bible stories to illustrate our values of: trust, hope, friendship, perseverance, forgiveness and peace. These values guide the behaviour and interactions of pupils and staff, ensuring that the school community embodies the teachings of Christ in everyday life.
On entering our school, our Christian vision and values are clearly articulated in the physical environment, the feeling one gets when being inside school and the actions of our whole school community. Our vision is also expressed through our relationships, curriculum, collective worship, behaviour regulation policy, spirituality, appraisal, home school agreement, appointment arrangements, induction, website, social media, teaching and learning and our involvement in the wider community.
We understand the needs and the background of our families so that we are able to meet these needs and enable families and children to flourish. The Christian vision ensures that family challenges do not hinder them from achieving our vision. We aspire for our school community to ‘bear fruit’ through demonstrating our school values.
We believe that the school’s commitment to inclusivity resonates with the Christian belief that every person is made in the image of God and loved by God, promoting a culture where diversity is embraced.
This vision is theologically rooted in the Gospel’s call to love. It reflects a Christ-centred approach to education and community, striving to shape individuals who live out their lives fully and bear much fruit.
The aims of the school
- To nurture the Christian faith and spirituality through an understanding of Christian belief, tradition and ‘awe and wonder’ in the curriculum.
- To promote an ethos which embeds positive behaviour based on affection, respect and achievement in a caring, loving and secure environment where all gifts and talents are celebrated.
- To provide a broad and balanced curriculum enriched with quality learning experiences. High standards and risk taking are promoted and learning made exciting and memorable. The school endeavours to provide a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities and high quality extended school services to further enhance provision.
- To provide an environment where independence, responsibility and respect for oneself and others, are nurtured, thereby preparing each pupil for life and work beyond school as responsible citizens in a multicultural and diverse, democratic society where prejudice and discrimination are not tolerated.
- To ensure that teaching and learning is inclusive and focused on individual pupils' attainment, abilities and needs, thereby maximising success.
- To enter into a purposeful partnership with all adults and children associated with the school for the benefit of all.
| Name | Format | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Files | |||
| Our School Values - Why they are Christian Values.pdf | |||
| Spiritual Moral Social and Cultural Policy incorporating British Values Spring 2025.pdf |