Christian Values & Ethos
Christian Values & Ethos
At Croughton School, we all belong as part of God’s family. We foster each child’s unique skills ensuring we are an inclusive and diverse community where each child feels safe and has a love of learning. We prepare children for their next journey in education and as global citizens by being respectfully curious, determined, resilient and kind.
‘How wonderful, how pleasing it is when all God’s people come together as one.’
(Psalm 133:1)
Our vision, reviewed recently, following a thorough and robust consultation process involving staff parent’s pupils and governors, is anchored from the word of God (Psalm 133:1) and symbolises how our diverse community comes together to provide a quality education rooted in Christian values. We have adopted two hub values of Belonging and Respect which run through everything and alongside we have:
· Compassion,
· Agape,
· Strength,
· Peace,
· Service.
These values are used to encourage individuals to be open to all possibilities and have a positive attitude.
We truly believe that everyone within our community has something to add as a group and, with God’s guidance, we recognise and nurture talents to make us stronger together. At Croughton we want all our pupils to know and have the courageous advocacy to make a difference in the world for the community good and not just that of the individual. Guided by our Christian faith we support our pupils and school community to flourish as respectful children of God.
When reviewing our vision, through a deep dive into the needs of our local community, we, as a school community identified some core needs that should ‘drive’ our vision statement and ensure that our children and families would flourish. The school, following on from its original foundation of providing education for all, wants to broaden experiences beyond our locality and to teach children about diversity in all its forms.
We want pupils to be compassionate and caring community members, with a generosity of spirit and a sense of social responsibility that enriches the world and people around them and to inspire children to create a better world through our values. In confirming a true and realistic vision for our school, we were conscious that the wider world is much more culturally and socially economically diverse than the local area that we live and serve. Therefore, our vision seeks to embrace all forms of diversity, educating and enabling children to understand how they can make a difference in the world. We encourage our school community to embrace the differences in our own community and beyond. We do this through being fair, being kind and trusting in God and so our children are able to show love (agape) and respect within an increasingly diverse world.
Further needs for our community were identified as resilience and growth-mindset through our value of strength. We want to ensure that children don’t ‘fall at the first fence’ but persevere and find a way to reach for their dreams. We believe there is something potentially wonderful in everyone, and therefore we want to nurture and inspire our whole school community, to use their God-given gifts, so that they have the confidence and skills to excel in their achievements and as children of God.
At Croughton we keep high aspirations at the heart of our vision, developing pupil resilience and celebrating success and the promotion of wellbeing for all. We look to develop confident minds and characters, broaden horizons and aspirations, and encourage every member of our community feel a part of our school. Our vision is lived out through the teaching of our fundamental values, Christian at their core and we believe set us apart from a non-faith school.
Together they enable us to build a community where children from all faiths and none are encouraged to be the best they possibly can.
Believe
Our children are curious learners who embrace opportunities for spiritual development and respect for others
Achieve
Our children have the best possible environment where they are accepted and nurtured to fulfil their potential
Succeed
Our children are equipped with skills for the future and a thirst for life long learning
Together
Our close links with families, local community, church and Diocese enrich all aspects of school life
Our Christian Values
Our vision and values lie at the heart of every school day.. They contribute to the academic achievement, personal development and well- being of all learners. They support the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all learners – Christian, other faiths or of no faith. Our Christian values shape the relationships between all members of the school community and promote an understanding of and respect for diverse communities.
We believe the schools’ core values encourage children to recognise the difference between right and wrong and how their actions affect others. As this understanding develops children learn how to co-operate and empathise with others of differing backgrounds.
Over the course of a year, we explore six core values: their meaning and significance in Christianity, other religions and secular teachings. We spend a term focusing on each core value in turn and to which our worship and church services are linked.
| Term | Christian Value |
|---|---|
| Autumn 1 | Charity (Generosity & Community) |
| Autumn 2 | Respect (Friendship & Peace) |
| Spring 1 | Love (Compassion & Caring) |
| Spring 2 | Forgiveness (Truthfulness & Wisdom) |
| Summer 1 | Justice (Honesty & Fairness) |
| Summer 2 | Courage (Perseverance & Hope) |
Promoting British Values
Within our school community the acceptance, understanding and engagement of the fundamental British values form an integral part of our Christian values teaching.
At Croughton All Saints CE Primary School we value the ethnic backgrounds of all pupils and families and undertake a variety of events and lessons to celebrate and explore these alongside other cultures in our country.
At Croughton All Saints CE Primary School, we ensure that the fundamental British Values are introduced, discussed and lived out through the ethos and work of the school. They are an intrinsic part of school life and closely linked to our Christian values of love, justice, forgiveness, respect, courage and charity, already embedded in all we do.
We encourage admissions from all those entitled to education under British law regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, political or financial status. We are a fully inclusive school.
At Croughton All Saints CE Primary School, the fundamental British values are reinforced in the following ways:
Democracy
Democracy is richly embedded within the school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our Circle Time sessions, School Council and House meetings, nominations for school awards and also for our Sports Crew, who help in developing and shaping the values of respect and teamwork though sport. Our school Behaviour policy involves rewards and sanctions; this underpins all aspects of school life and is shared with parents and children from Reception to Year 6.
The Rule of Law
Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken. We encourage visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service to help reinforce this message.
Individual Liberty
Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for all pupils to make choices safely, through provision of a safe environment and an empowering approach through the curriculum we deliver. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHCE lessons.
Mutual Respect
As a Church of England school, our Christian values and ethos promote values such as ‘Respect’, and pupils and stakeholders have been part of discussions to clarify what all our values mean and how they are demonstrated in action. Respect is taught explicitly within lessons and collective worship. It is shared with home through newsletters and website information. Adults throughout the school model, demonstrate and promote respect for others as do older children who have suitable, age related tasks and responsibilities and this is reiterated through our rules for learning in every classroom, as well as our behavior policy.
Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs
Croughton All Saints CE Primary School is a Church of England school as well as being a culturally rich and diverse school where children have unique opportunities to learn from each other by sharing and celebrating their different faiths and cultures. Collective worship and discussions relating to issues such as prejudice and prejudice-based bullying are supported by learning in RE, Philosophy for Children and PSHCE. Members of different faiths or religions are welcomed into school and encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school.