“Serving with Love, Striving for Excellence”
Ubi Caritas et amour deus ibi est
Our Catholic School exists to create and sustain an environment which has Christ and His teachings at its very heart. It is based on the belief that everything of worth comes from God and by working in partnership with priests, parishioners and our families, we can establish a community of love, peace and harmony between all in a climate of mutual trust and openness.
We encourage our children to develop their academic potential and individual talents, giving all children confidence and self-esteem through praise, encouragement and acceptance of their worth.
Aim:
To be a Christian family, celebrating our Catholic identity as a lived reality from the inside out, sustained by gospel witness – the impact of which pervades our entire community.
Objectives:
Curriculum, ‘the real substance of education’ is the driver for every task, every action undertaken in our school.
Our key objective is to provide an outstanding Christian education, rich in content, accessible and motivating – an education that is intentionally directed to the growth of the whole person, fostering a love for wisdom and truth, integrating faith, culture and life.
We trust that we provide a firm grounding in the Catholic faith where gospel values of love, hope, respect, courage, service, wisdom, fairness and fellowship guide the children in their formative years through:
Love: believing each child is created in the image and likeness of God with a spiritual destiny to fulfil –
- promoting love and respect for themselves, others, God and His world
- instilling confidence and a sense of self-worth through praise, encouragement and the message about how unique and inspirational our children are
- being positive role models who treat each other equally and fairly to work together for the good of all
- forging a school community that demonstrates and models tolerant and moral behaviour and attitudes
- inspiring our youngsters to be ambassadors for their school, representing and promoting this at every opportunity
Hope: believing that this is larger than our imaginations, its purpose extending far beyond our comprehension –
- preparing our young people to open themselves more and more to reality and to become strong responsible citizens of the local and global community, reaching out into the world
- providing support for a ‘growth mindset’ towards all learning experiences – knowing that through effort, strategies, facing challenges and learning from mistakes they forge ahead towards unknowable potential
- committing to our teachers’ use of cutting edge evidence and research-based practices – empowering them to make independent, informed decisions about what works and, alongside bespoke continual professional development, using it thoughtfully to improve our children’s outcomes
- offering a wealth of exciting and magical experiences beyond the classroom that enhance and enrich our children’s learning, well-being, curiosity and imagination
Wisdom: seeking understanding and truth, guided by faith and the light of the Gospel –
-
fostering a love of learning that inspires children to question, explore and grow intellectually, spiritually and morally
-
teaching our children to discern right from wrong, making good choices in line with Gospel teachings and their own developing conscience
-
encouraging curiosity and creativity, recognising that wisdom comes not just from knowledge but from reflection, experience and prayer
-
supporting our children to see connections between faith, culture and life, integrating what they learn into how they live and relate to others
-
helping children to recognise that mistakes and challenges are opportunities for growth, building resilience and humility on their journey towards wisdom
Respect: recognising the God-given dignity of every person, and treating all creation with care and reverence –
-
fostering an ethos where each child feels valued, listened to and safe – understanding that every individual is made in the image and likeness of God and deserving of kindness, patience and consideration
-
nurturing attitudes of mutual respect in all relationships – between children, staff, parents and the wider community – building a culture of trust, inclusion and welcome
-
encouraging appreciation of diversity, recognising and celebrating the differences in one another’s lives, cultures, beliefs and experiences, and seeing these differences as strengths
-
teaching our children to respect themselves as unique and precious, developing self-confidence, self-discipline and responsibility for their words and actions
-
caring for God’s creation, promoting respect for the world around us through thoughtful stewardship of the environment and an awareness of our shared responsibility for the future
- celebrating and promoting British values – developing our children’s understanding of diversity in others’ lives, cultures, faiths and beliefs – recognising, respecting and celebrating the differences in and between each other
Fairness: living out justice and equality by treating others as we would wish to be treated –
-
instilling an understanding of fairness as a Gospel value, where everyone has the right to be heard, included and treated with dignity
-
teaching empathy and compassion, helping our children to see the world through others’ eyes and to stand up for those who are vulnerable or marginalised
-
encouraging honesty, integrity and a sense of responsibility in every member of our school family
-
promoting equality of opportunity so that every child can thrive, regardless of background, ability or need
-
supporting children to challenge injustice and make choices that contribute to a more just, peaceful and equitable world
Courage: forming strong and responsible individuals, capable of making free and correct choices, taking chances, being brave and adventurous – ‘we are all heroes-in-waiting’
- through our ‘Golden Rules’ and KiVa school status, we strive to create a calm, stable, accepting learning climate
- laying the groundwork for our children’s adult responsibilities and fostering not only the cause and effect relationship of actions but, alongside the vision of KiVa, supporting the children in finding their inner strength in honesty, daring, compassion, humility and integrity
Fellowship: building a strong, united community where we journey together in faith and friendship –
-
creating a welcoming and supportive school family, where everyone feels they belong and are valued
-
encouraging teamwork, collaboration and a sense of shared purpose among children and staff
-
celebrating together through prayer, worship, liturgy and the rhythms of the Church’s year, strengthening our bonds as a faith community
-
developing friendships rooted in kindness, respect and forgiveness, recognising Christ in one another
-
fostering links with families, parish and the wider community, building partnerships that enrich the lives of all involved and reflect the love of God
Service: the commitment to using whatever gifts we have received to serve others – understanding that everything in life is about being a part of something bigger than yourself –
- never tiring of doing the little things as no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted
- encouraging our children to be the best that they can be, using their untold gifts and talents to carve a space and find their own unique place in their world to come
- ensuring parents are in the strongest position to help with their child’s learning – building communication step by step, stage by stage, year by year – engaging families in the learning process from the very beginning
- working closely with our governors as they continue to seek the very best outcomes for all our pupils through strategic planning, targeted questioning and insightful guidance
- in acknowledging that the global dimension is also on our doorstep, establishing mutually beneficial links with other schools, school families and alliances and continuing to forge ever-stronger partnerships within our exciting, new, parish family in becoming the ‘mission hub’ of our local and wider community.
‘Serving with Love, Striving for Excellence’