Our school is a place of sanctuary, strength and high achievement where all are heard, respected, encouraged and nurtured.
Ever outward looking and rooted in the teachings of Jesus; as stewards of God's creation we aim to grow beyond all we can imagine.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
Genesis 1: 31
Our vision is a future-oriented explanation of the school’s nature, purpose and aspirations - in brief, it describes ‘who’ and ‘what’ we are and where we are going! It was created by the Headteacher, Chair of Governors, a Parent Governor and two other Governors with particular responsibility for helping the school further develop Christian Distinctiveness, Collective Worship and Religious Education (one of which is the Team Vicar for the Pilgrims Way Churches). The staff, pupils, Governors and parents were all consulted to ensure all stakeholders were given the chance to create St. John’s new vision.
St. John’s Church of England Primary School is a Sanctuary where all pupils are well cared for, nurtured and cherished through mutually respectful relationships built on the firm foundation of our 4 core Christian values of Friendship, Forgiveness, Trust and Compassion. As a result strong bonds of trust and very positive attachments are made between pupils and all staff. At St. John’s we understand that often those pupils who present the most challenge, often need the most care and nurture. Pupil safety is ensured through rigorous adherence to Safeguarding requirements. St. John’s is also a safe place for pupils to express themselves, to ask questions and to think deeply about ultimate questions. The same can be said for all those who work here – St. John’s is a place where all staff enjoy coming to work and all stakeholders are welcome.
Our school is a place of Strength; St. John’s staff have the resilience, strength and ethos to work together to face new challenges constantly experienced. Previously we have embraced and adapted to become an academy, expanded to 2 form entry and operated the school smoothly during 2 huge phases of building expansion. We aim that this example will help the children to become more resilient also, especially with life’s challenges and their learning. We teach children to have the strength to do the right thing and make positive choices even in difficult circumstances.
St. John’s is a school which continually performs very well; striving for strong progress and high achievement. Standards at EYFS, KS1, KS2 and in the Phonics check remain high when compared with local and national results. Our Pupils also excel in other areas of the curriculum including, Art, PE, Music and Sport.
In our school, diversity is fully accepted, encouraged and celebrated firstly through inclusion, all are welcome. We are able to cater for a diverse range of SEN, medical and Mental Health and Well-being needs. We celebrate diversity within the curriculum and through special events like our ‘Cultural Fair’ and ‘Black History Week’. We recognise children as ‘fellow pilgrims on the journey through life’ (adults are just further along the journey). We know that children find awe and wonder in much we no longer see and so can teach and remind us (adults) about a great deal.
At St. John’s ‘all’ are listened to and encouraged to contribute. Our pupils are listened to individually and through the School and Eco Council.
Through teaching about mutual respect, everyone knows that pupils have a right to learn and teachers have the right to teach. High expectations of manners and the celebration of diversity further develops the importance of respect. If behaviour does not meet expectations, sanctions are appropriate and often negotiated with the pupils as part of the process of forgiveness. For being respectful and ‘living out’ our values Pupils are rewarded and celebrated.
Being a successful school, we know that to continue to be so we cannot ‘stand still’ - we are open to and will search out new ways to improve through building new relationships and continuing our valuable partnership with local schools. We are keen to support global projects which work to protect and secure the natural world. We also work on behalf of many charities both locally, nationally and globally to combat human disasters, poverty and famine.
Our values are rooted in the Bible and the teachings of Jesus and help all staff and pupils to ‘live out’ our vision in our daily lives.
Friendship – example parable ‘The Four Friends’ also known as the Story of the Paralysed Man
Forgiveness – example parable ‘The Prodigal (Lost) Son’
Trust – example parable ‘The Storm on the Lake’ also known as Jesus calms the Storm
Compassion – example parable ‘The Good Samaritan’
Through aiming to be Stewards of God’s Creation, we want to make a difference and develop a real sense of purpose as a school. Through teaching and promoting this belief and through direct action we make a difference and enable our pupils to become advocates for change within their communities and families. We hope that as adults, our pupils will be more effective ‘stewards’ than previous generations. The natural world is also one of the most tangible ways to explore ‘awe and wonder’ with the pupils. Through understanding that the Earth is utterly unique and that we have a duty to protect and live in harmony with God’s creation each child's spirituality grows.
As teachers we understand that each pupil’s potential is unknown and that there are skills within each child that as yet lie undiscovered, thus potential is not ‘fixed’.
We also recognise that it is important to never limit our expectations of a pupil due to their background, SEN, Emotional/behaviour or medical need. This view is as important for every member of staff as it is for the organisation itself. Through knowing this we help to ensure our children ‘Grow beyond all we can imagine’.
At St John’s we believe that it is not enough to talk about our vision. We believe our actions and impact within the local community and wider world are what really shows the core beliefs that we build our school upon.
