Vision, Ethos and Values
As a voluntary aided Church of England School, we have close links with the church (St Michael & All Angels'). The children lead festivals and activities in the church and we invite families to join us. These are special times and we hope you get to see them! All events are listed on our calendar page which can be accessed here.
We hold an act of collective worship in school or at the Church daily. We are blessed to have our very own Open the Book Team and Reverend Louise, who share in our worship programme. In addition to celebrating Christian Festivals, we also focus on the values from the Fruit of the Spirit shown below and say Grace every lunchtime. We hear and act stories, and children are given lots of opportunity to contribute and join in. We love to sing songs and hymns too. All children are invited to compose prayers and spend moments reflecting.
Our School Vision: Nurturing pupils and adults to flourish with God’s grace.
Our School Aim: ‘To nurture our school family and empower us to develop and grow our God given talents and reach our full potential in a safe, happy and vibrant school with a strong Christian ethos at the heart of our village community.’
“What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
The parable of the mustard seed. Mark 4:30-32
30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Why this parable illustrated our vision for all our children and adults:
- Children and adults blossom during their time here preparing them for the next stage of their journey and for their role in modern British Society.
- Each child and adult is nurtured, and enabled to flourish through our care.
- Each individual is like a mustard seed, which grows by being part of our school and is supported by our whole school community.
- All of our pupils have the potential to do well, to succeed in their learning and to become a valued member of society, regardless of their starting point.
- Every member of our school community is valued and cherished; both as an individual and for the contribution they make to the school.
- Pupils and adults are supported as they grow emotionally, academically and spiritually.
- Like the tree that the seed in the parable becomes, we aspire for our school to be a place where everyone feels at home; for us all to become the people that God calls us to be.
- Big things can come from small beginnings; who knows what great things our pupils and staff will go onto achieve in the future?
Our Values:
As a Church School, we are a community founded on Christian Values. These values underpin our vision, provide a basis for our principles and support everything that we aim to achieve for all who come to our school. These values are present in our School to encourage an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith through the experience it offers all pupils.
At our school we follow the core Christian values of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). These underpin everything we do at Withington C of E Primary School. These were agreed upon together by staff, parents and pupils long ago, but are still extremely relevant now. They are:
- Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control
These values reflect how the Bible teaches us to be good members of our community and the link between these and the Christian faith is made explicit to the children in the daily life of our school. All children are welcome at Withington C of E Primary School, of all faiths or none.