Aims, Values, Vision | stjohnsmexborough

Vision, Theological Rationale, Aims and Values

Our Vision

We love and value all of God’s children, creating an inclusive environment that helps all to flourish.

Our Motto reminds us of this:

“Together we believe, together we succeed.”

Our Aims

We aim for every child to develop a love of learning through exciting, inspiring and engaging learning experiences.
We aim for every child to dream big and be given the knowledge, skills and understanding to achieve their gaols.
We aim for every child to feel part of a community where Christian values are promoted in all areas of school life. We also aim for every parent and carer to be partners in our school, where we are all learners.
We aim for every child to respect and care for themselves, others and the environment.
We aim for every child to feel valued, be proud of who they are and have a sense of belonging.

Theological Rationale

Developing a Love of Learning[1]

We aim for every child to develop a love of learning through exciting, inspiring and engaging learning experiences.

The Church of England promotes a vision of education that sees wisdom in our learning about “the self- expression and self-giving of God, who relates to the whole of creation (John 1: 1-5; Colossians 1: 15-20; Ephesians 1: 8-10). This sets the horizon for education that looks to him, seeking truth and wisdom in relation to all reality.”[2] With an eye to the context of our community, we prioritise offering our children a wide and inspiring set of experiences, both inside and outside the classroom. This includes the school’s emphasis upon cultural capital and ensuring our children gain a rich cultural experience of life in all its fullness.

Dream Big and Achieve[3]

We aim for every child to dream big and be given the knowledge, skills and understanding to achieve their gaols.

The Church of England vision for Education recognises that “In the drama of ongoing life, how we learn to approach the future is crucial.” In response to this it recognises that “Good schools open up horizons of hope and aspiration, and guide pupils into ways of fulfilling them.”[4] Our vision is to enable all the children in our care to raise that hope and those aspirations. As such, we teach our children resilient hope, no matter what setbacks they might face.

A Community of Values[5]

We aim for every child to feel part of a community where Christian values are promoted in all areas of school life. We also aim for every parent and carer to be partners in our school, where we are all learners.

Our school motto is, “Together we believe, together we succeed.”

The Church of England Vision for Education affirms: “The God of wisdom, love, compassion and peace, in whose image we are created, is utterly relational.”[6] It should end up looking like St Paul’s description: “Love is patient and kind…Love does not lose its temper or hold a grudge….Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”[7] This means that our management of behaviour and discipline will always be governed by relationships with the child and never by negativity: we know every child – every single name.

Respect and Pride[8]

We aim for every child to respect and care for themselves, others and the environment.

We aim for every child to feel valued, be proud of who they are and have a sense of belonging.

St Peter tells us to “Respect everyone.”[9] At Mexborough St John’s we affirm the Church of England’s commitment to education for dignity and respect: “Jesus embodies the love and compassion of God for each person, and Christians are called to follow him in this, and to join with others in demonstrating it.”[10] For us respect should be a given. We respect people not only for what they have done, but also for the simple fact that they are human beings made in the image of God and loved by God. This manifests itself in the expectation that staff will show unconditional positive regard for the children I our care, and that staff will provide solid and dependable role models of love and respect in daily life.

[1] ‘Wisdom’, in the Church of England Vision for Education

[2] Church of England Vision for Education p.9

[3] ‘Hope’, in the Church of England Vision for Education

[4] Church of England Vision for Education p.7

[5] ‘’Community’, in the Church of England Vision for Education

[6] Church of England Vision for Education p.8

[7] from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

[8] ’Dignity and Respect’, in the Church of England Vision for Education

[9] 1 Peter 1:17

[10] Church of England Vision for Education p.11

Our Values

Following our five school values, help us to achieve our vision. Our values are:

What do our values mean to us and Christians?

Hope

In exploring Hope as a key value in the life of St John’s School, children should understand that the Christian faith teaches that they can have hope no matter what setbacks they might face because ultimately God loves them. They ought to have Christian hope in their hearts – meaning that they should seek to face life’s challenges with the confident expectation that the challenges they face will build up valuable life experience that will help them to succeed and grow in maturity.

Stories that help us to think about Hope:

Honesty

The Ten Commandments give Christians a clear moral and ethical foundation, and guide our behaviour and attitudes towards God and each other. Honesty is a key virtue in the Christian faith because it is central to building of solid, reliable and trustworthy communities. Honesty leads to trust, and trust is essential for positive relationships. Christians are also called to imitate Jesus, who said to Pontius Pilate, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37). And writing about Jesus, St Peter tells us “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). Honesty is a key part in trying to become more like Jesus, and it builds us up as individuals, families, and communities in mutual trust, understanding and constructive co-operation.

Stories that help us to think about Honesty:

Respect

St Peter tells us to “Respect everyone.” What does this mean in a Christian context? Christian ideas of respect are closely linked to humility. “Be humble,” said Paul, “thinking of others as better than yourselves.”

Christianity argues that respect should be a given. We respect people not only for what they have done, but also for the simple fact that they are human beings made in the image of God and loved by God.

As we interact with people around us, we should automatically treat them with respect because Jesus deemed them worth dying for. In that case, how can we ever think of ourselves as superior to another person, or think someone is unworthy of our respect?

Stories that help us to think about Respect:

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is at the very heart of the Christian faith and through Jesus we find forgiveness. St Luke tells us in the Acts of the Apostles that “Everyone who believes in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.” So that is the basis for Christian hope of forgiveness, and therefore salvation, through Jesus.

One of the guiding principles of Christianity is that since we have received forgiveness of our sins, we must also be willing to forgive others. To expect God’s forgiveness for ourselves but refuse to forgive other people when they wrong us is hypocritical. That’s why in the Lord’s Prayer we say “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Forgiveness is a vitally important aspect of a Christian ethos, because it is the essence of the gospel. It teaches our young people that none of us is perfect, that we are all equal, and that when we have done wrong we ask for forgiveness and that when we are wronged we extend forgiveness. In this way, just like honesty, we build up our communal life together and refuse to let resentment and grudges weaken our community.

Stories that help us to think about Forgiveness:

Stewardship

In Christian understanding, stewardship is the idea that we have been entrusted with things by God, and that it is therefore our duty to take care and nurture the things he has given us. The first instance of this in the Bible is creation itself. Genesis 2:15 says of Adam, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” This has informed Christian attitudes to environmentalism and our responsibility as stewards for the care we take of the earth. Creation is a gift from God, given so that we might have life in all its fullness – food, water, warmth, and beauty to enjoy. To treat the world with consideration for future generations is an act of brotherly love and humility, because it acknowledges our responsibilities to others.

However, concepts of stewardship go further than this. We also have a responsibility to ourselves and to God to nurture the gifts we were born with or which we have personally been given. Great artists, musicians, sports players, among others, should seek to nurture and develop the talent God gave them in order to bring beauty, joy, excitement and happiness into our world.

Stories that help us to think about Stewardship: