This will be achieved by:

1. Creating a school community that is underpinned by our Christian Values and Christian ethos. Where all children are supported to feel safe, flourish as individuals and learn to understand and value each other.

2. Creating a teaching and learning culture with high expectations of all children and adults. Where the focus is on knowing our children and implementing effective teaching strategies to engage them in their learning and prepare them for the next stage of their educational journey; and where children and adults are supported to be active participants in their progress and professional development.

The 6 Christian values we have adopted are: Trust, Compassion, Wisdom, Forgiveness, Koinonia and Service.

TRUST is at the very heart of faith, if you trust someone you can rely on what they do and say. People put their trust in a range of different things, for example money and possessions. However all of these do not last for ever and can be destroyed.

Trust is so important in all of our relationships. We can trust our real friends, where we tell them things about us that make us vulnerable. We need to decide who we can trust and why? We can find many examples of God keeping His promises to His people. Similarly, we can see Jesus trusting us to do the things that he would have us do, we can do them in His name.

COMPASSION is much stronger than feeling sorry or having sympathy for someone else. The root of the word means to put yourself into another person’s shoes and experiencing what they feel, even when the other person is in pain or suffering in some way. This leads to a desire to act and enable things to change. Compassion can need imagination and can demand humility when sharing in the lives of others.

WISDOM is more than being clever or having a good general knowledge. Wisdom is that insight into the way that life works, recognising that our actions have consequences which can be either good or bad. There is an awareness of the true value of things, which are important and last for ever. This is rooted in a reverence for God who is the source of all life and all values.

The wisdom of God is very different from the wisdom of today. Letting Jesus be crucified is the greatest example of this, yet through this God draws us back together as a family.

FORGIVENESS is not simply saying sorry and expecting everything to remain just as it was. Forgiveness needs to be asked for, but it is also recognising the impact of what has been done and making a commitment that it will not happen again. Therefore you need to think before you ask for this. The Bible makes it clear that God is always prepared to forgive when we repent, Jesus too took the same approach. Included in the Lord’s Prayer are requests to forgive.

There are also strong links with Easter, with Jesus’ life being offered as a sacrifice for our sins.

KOINONIA means those things that we have in common. It can also mean being part of a fellowship or community with others. In earliest times it meant being yoked together, just as oxen were. However, it is together that the strength comes from, overcoming these together. It is because of Jesus, through His death on a cross, that he allows us to become part of the Christian community, we become the brothers and sisters of God and because of this we are linked to others who are also part of this same community regardless. Each member is valued, we share in each other’s joys and sorrows. As part of this family we are interdependent upon one another.

SERVICE is linked to the word servant. Jesus showed how important this was. He came to earth to serve others and meet their needs. Jesus turned this idea on its head. He stated that it was better to be a servant to many as this was a real sign of wealth. Jesus gave us several examples of this including washing His disciples’ feet. In the parable of the Good Samaritan we go the extra mile for friend or foe. This can mean extra time and sacrifice for us. We can serve God by serving others. A life of service can make us really free.