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 often 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 have collective worships in school each day, including a weekly assembly when community members come and act out Bible stories for us. 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 sing Hymns and children are invited to join in prayer and reflection time.
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
The parable of the mustard seed underpins so much of our distinctly Christian school vision. It can be a metaphor for our children, who blossom during their time here preparing them for the next stage of their journey, at secondary school, and for their role in modern British Society. Each child is nurtured, and enabled to flourish through our teaching and care. Each individual is like a mustard seed, which grows by being part of our school and is supported by our whole school community. While the mustard seed is tiny, with the perfect conditions it grows, becomes strong and attracts birds to rest among its branches. We believe that 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. At Withington, every member of our school community is valued and cherished; both as an individual and for the contribution they make to the school. The mustard seed starts by growing strong, deep roots to provide the nutrients and water which it needs. Children here are rooted by our Christian vision and associated values; the fruit of the spirit. At Withington C of E Primary School, we strive to support and challenge pupils and adults as they grow emotionally, academically and spiritually. We support them to develop respect for God and an understanding of the Christian Faith. At Withington, we believe that everyone matters. Each of us is a unique individual and, like the mustard seed, we all have the potential to grow and to flourish. Jesus said that faith as small as a mustard seed could achieve great things, even move a mountain. In faith, and with perseverance, we aspire to live as God wants us to; to love and respect God, each other, our neighbours and ourselves. 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 will go onto achieve in the future?
Our previous vision was set in context by Jesus’ words: "I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness." John 10:10. This is still very relevant to us, however, we feel that focusing on the parable of the mustard seed has helped our school community to build on this and to formulate our new vision.
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.
Our school values reflect important principles that we wish to encourage and explore during our time at Withington C of E Primary School and which will contribute to making us thoughtful citizens of the future.
I hope you all feel as strongly as we do that our new vision (and ongoing values) truly encapsulate our approach to life at Withington C of E Primary School, and that you will help us to continue to weave our vision and values through everything we do.
For further information, please read our Aims and Vision Policy