Our Vision and Values
Our school is a church school with strong Christian foundations. We aim to provide the very best for every child in our school and to help them to reach their potential within a safe and secure Christian environment.
Inspired by the words of Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world," our vision is to create a school community where each person is empowered to let their light shine. Rooted in the values of respect, generosity, wisdom, and community, we seek to build a safe, nurturing environment where everyone is valued and enabled to flourish. We believe that each person is uniquely gifted and we celebrate every achievement. In all things, we strive to do our very best. Our vision calls us to be lights in the world, achieving the very best and making a positive impact on our communities and world around us.
Together, grounded in respect, generosity, wisdom, and community, we will "let our light shine" in all that we do.
We have four core values which stem from our vision and underpin everything we do at school. They are rooted in the scriptures and children are taught what Jesus teaches us in the New Testament about:
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Community
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Respect
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Wisdom
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Generosity
How do our Christian values build upon our school vision?
Respect - Respecting each others’ lights, everyone is unique and has different gifts and talents – God made us all different. Encouraging diversity, valuing and respecting each as individuals.
Generosity - Jesus told his disciples not to keep their light to themselves, not to hide it under a bucket, but to share it widely so that all could share in it. At St Mary’s, giving is not just about material things, but also about sharing love, encouragement, and kindness with others.
Wisdom - We are committed to helping our children grow in wisdom, not just academically but spiritually, socially, morally and culturally. We challenge them to think deeply and make thoughtful decisions. This will enable everyone’s light to shine and contribute effectively to society and helping others’ lights to shine. We are committed to supporting our children to make wise choices confidently and with perseverance to enable their lights to shine brightly in all decisions they make.
Community - Jesus talked of being a town on a hill that cannot be hidden. Our vision is to be a beacon of light within our community, united in respect and support for one another. We believe that we are stronger together, and by supporting each other, we can achieve far more than we could alone.
All members of our school community sign up to our Christian vision and values, which underpin all we do at our school, from forming relationships to academic achievement and school improvement. Our vision and values are evident in the children's great attitudes towards their learning and everyone's positive relationships with each other in school.
British Values
At St Mary’s School, we actively promote British values through our school vision, ethos, agreed rules, curriculum, and teaching. As such, we promote tolerance of, and respect for, people of all faiths (or those with no faith), cultures, and lifestyles.
We prepare children and young people positively for life in modern Britain by supporting them through our words, actions, and influence, not just within school, but also within the wider community.
Promoting Our Values
The government defines British values as:
Democracy.
Rule of law.
Individual liberty.
Mutual respect.
Tolerance of those of different faiths.
At St Mary’s, we value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of all pupils and families and undertake a variety of events and lessons to celebrate these. We have found this approach to be enriching for all parties, as it teaches tolerance and respect for the differences in our community and the wider world. We actively challenge children, staff, and parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British values, including ‘extremist’ views.
As part of The White Horse Federation, we passionately believe that by working together, children have a higher quality of education, and that as colleagues, we will also benefit from and reap the rewards of a values-based organisation where no one is left behind.