Values and Ethos
Our School Vision
Our vision is to create a nurturing community in which we ignite curious minds, encourage generous hearts and embrace a changing world so our children can live life in all its fullness.
To underpin our vision, our Bible quote is:
“Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14)
Our core Christian values
Over the last five years, we have reviewed and developed our core Christian values. We started with our pupils’ voice and then through engagement with all our stakeholders, we distilled our core Christian values to Love, Hope and Respect. Alongside these three core Christian values, we learn from many other values, including those of other faiths or no faith. We firmly believe that when our children leave Churchill Primary School that they will have a strong sense of these three core values, enabling them to be reflective, spiritual and respectful young people moving on to their next stage in learning.
Our three values are the cornerstones to all that we do; our Christian values are both implicit and explicit at Churchill Primary School and they guide policy and practice in every aspect of our school life, from class time, to lunchtime, to home time. At our school, everyone is valued and cared about. Our school is a place where we ignite curious minds and inspire hopefulness and ambition.
Love
Our Christian ethos is built on the core foundation of love. Love lies at the root of all other values. It is not defined as a ‘warm fuzzy feeling’ but a way of life. Christian love is giving to others those things that you would want them to give you if you were in their situation, without expectation of reward or recognition, and doing so especially if they can’t pay you back. Christian love is respect for others. It’s mercy. It’s charity.
Through this value we show respect, goodwill, affection, kindness and concern for one another. This translates in how we promote an ethos of care and concern which embraces all members of the school community and beyond – it is at the heart of what we do. We recognise that God the Father is Love; built on a knowledge that God loves each and every one of us, and that love lives in the heart of every person. When we show His Love, God lives in us.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14)
Hope
At its root, resilience is recognition that life is sometimes difficult and painful, and that it is important not to give up in the face of adversity, but to have hope. In today’s busy and competitive society, we recognise the importance of building a sense of hopefulness and resilience in our children to carry on when things get tough.
Hopefulness enables children to have strength to call upon when things are difficult on an emotional/social level in their lives. Resilience and perseverance are only possible where there is hope and that hope is based on the enduring nature of God’s love and faithfulness. This will help in our work of building confidence, independence and self-esteem in children through courage and hope.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. (Romans 15:13)
Respect
We believe respect means treating ourselves and others with kindness and love, because God created us all. Through respect we value everyone and everything and celebrate our differences. We are all God’s people and we all matter. We learn to value each other and the wider community through honesty, tolerance and trust, where everyone has equal worth as a reflection of God’s love.
Matthew 7:12 says “Treat others as you would want them to treat you.”
We learn about how through respect we can create a community where we treat each other with politeness and courtesy, and recognise that everyone’s contribution is important and that everyone’s feelings should be considered. We explore how respecting someone does not mean that we always agree with the other person but that we are prepared to listen and share our views, without rudeness or impatience.
Romans13 states that we should 'Pay others the honour and respect you owe them'.
We recognise that respect needs to start with respect for ourselves and our own unique contribution to the world. Having self-respect means being able to celebrate our gifts and talents, looking after ourselves and the bodies that God has given us. Having self-respect also means nurturing our talents so that we can be the best we can be, honouring how God has made us and being confident about who we are.
Our School Book
Our school book is ‘The Oak inside the Acorn’, by Max L
ucado. This story helps us to appreciate how all of God's creations have purpose and contribute to the well-being of others through community, citizenship and courageous advocacy. We see the need for patience and how it takes time to grow into all God created us to be. The story illustrates that life is a journey, and God has a plan for us and how we will need courage, determination and resilience to see us through the ups and downs.
John 10:10 Jesus said 'I have come that you may have life in all its fullness'. He calls us to a full life in mind, body, heart and spirit.
To help the children have a constant clear message of our vision, we created a simple motto which has its roots in our Christian vision.
With kind hearts and determined minds, we inspire each other to be the best we can be.
Our vision supports our core purpose, which is:
At Churchill Church of England Primary School, we are passionate about nurturing kind hearts and inspiring determined minds so that our children can live life in all its fullness. We are committed to being the best version of ourselves we can be and we challenge our children to be the same.
We see children as incredible and powerful learners. Our team provide exciting experiences and challenges which feed our children’s curiosity of the world and embrace their inquisitive nature.
Our carefully structured curriculum builds on our children’s experiences, interests and knowledge. We see learning as a lifelong journey and take seriously our responsibility to inspire a love of learning and foster a passion to grow as a person.
Learn with passion to live with purpose
Peter 4:10-11 "each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others"
We open doors to new ideas, challenge stereotypes and embrace creativity and innovative thought. We have high aspirations for all children and place no limits on what we believe they can achieve.
We are committed to cherishing and nurturing the whole child and believe passionately that health and wellbeing are vital to a positive and successful life. Through the love and care shown by our team, alongside a carefully structured programme of learning, we will help give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives, so that they can become informed, active and responsible citizens of the future.
Throughout their time in school we work with children to:
- develop a love of learning and a zest for life;
- develop Christian attitudes of understanding, kindness, caring and tolerance;
- encourage respect for others, themselves and the environment;
- be proud of achievements and not be afraid to make mistakes;
- be responsive, alert and enthusiastic and use their own initiative;
- be able to work independently and collaboratively;
- be technologically confident and aware;
- develop and value cultural diversity and being part of a wider world.
