Our Vision Statement
Our Vision Statement has been inspired by The Parable of the Sower, as told by Mark 4:3-9 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” How the Parable relates to our school community The children at our school are like the seeds in the parable which have fallen onto the good soil. The seeds will flourish and grow into healthy plants. If the children taken in all that the school has to offer and work hard, then they will achieve their fullest potential. Jesus said that those sown on good soil “are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”. Mark 4:10-20
Christian Values
The Ten Christian Values: Our school focuses on ten key Christian values that are very special to us. They include: Love, Kindness, Friendship, Forgiveness, Respect, Truthfulness, Being Thankful, Helping Others, Peace, Community Responsibility Each half term, we will focus on our vision statement and one or two values, which have all been linked to a key Bible story. The children will develop their understanding of our vision statement, the values and key Bible stories.
For example, each half term, the children will reflect on:
• What our vision statement and each value/s mean to them?
• How our vision statement, each value and Bible story helps them achieve and succeed?
The table below shows which value or values and key Bible story we focus on each half term:
Daily Worship
Daily acts of worship in school and end of term services (Harvest, Christmas, Easter and the end of year celebration service in July) at The Holy Ascension Church are an important part of our Christian Ethos as well as developing a sense of community and belonging for every child. The school also participates in the Mothering Sunday service and the community Remembrance service at the Church. Throughout the year the local clergy lead some of the daily acts of worship in our school.
Collective Worship Group
This group is currently led by the RE and Collective Worship lead and children from year 6. The group helps to plan acts of worship and have planned and this has included planning and leading their own. Children complete evaluation sheets which help to make future Collective Worship sessions more purposeful. Vicar Assemblies and Open the Book: Every week the school benefits from Vicar-led assemblies and/or Open the Book Group Visits to our school with the purpose of acting out a Bible story (starting with the Old Testament and during the Spring term moving on to the New Testament). The children are active participants in these sessions.
