As A Church School
Our Distinctive Christian Vision
Our school, in the context of our wonderful surroundings and closeness to the natural world, excels at doing what it does in a mutually supportive and caring environment, which brings together children across year groups, along with parents, carers, and staff, in a desire to work, not only for individual success, but for each other’s benefit too. In the classroom, on the sports pitch, on the stage, and beyond the school gates we desire together to see everyone flourish and reach their full potential. Our goal is that we all;
Learn Well, Live Well, Together
This vision is rooted in the Christian belief that every human being is created in the image of God, and that each is invited to work together with others and God to bring life and allow all of creation to flourish and grow.
‘God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them.
(Genesis I: 27)
When considering this in school we use the following visual ques;
Our Aims
As all are equally made as the image of God and equally valued and precious, no child should be left behind. We will therefore aim to develop in each child:
- A sense of self-worth stemming from the recognition that they are created in the image of God.
- A sense also that the image of God is in some way carried collectively as a community of adults and children
- and that the way we work with and treat others can make that image bright or dim.
- that the image of God is only fully reflected when the unique and diverse contributions of everyone come together, and that “God’s favourite colour is tartan.”
- that the image of God is reflected in and expressed through the whole person: body, mind and spirit, and that healthy growth involves the intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual development of every child and adult in the school community.
- A sense that God asks his image-bearers to look and get involved with others in the wider world, to bring good change for the benefit of everyone, and all of creation.
- An ability to engage with the lens of religious faith, particularly, but not exclusively, the language and symbolism of Christianity, as a way of understanding our meaning and purpose in life.
- The tools to explore Christian beliefs and values through a knowledge of Bible stories and Christian teaching.
Spirituality
Just as our Christian vision is the foundation of all we do at Holy Apostles, the opportunity to experience spirituality is woven into the heart of our curriculum planning and the wider experiences we provide.
We put great importance on developing relationships with others, both within school, our local community and the global community. We recognise the importance of a feeling of belonging, of being part of something bigger than the self.
Developing an awareness of a sense of self, of our uniqueness and developing language for recognising and describing emotions and feelings is a key part of our CPSHE curriculum. In addition, we look for opportunities to encourage a relationship with the natural world and this is often linked to providing opportunities to experience moments of stillness and reflection as well as of awe and wonder.
We aim to develop in each child:
- A sense of belonging to a community and the reciprocal value of this.
- A language for recognising and developing feelings and emotions as well as strategies for responding to these.
- The ability to notice, reflect upon, and value experiences of awe, compassion, beauty.
- The ability to realize that experiences of disappointment, failure and loss can be occasions for spiritual growth and development.
- A willingness to explore the ultimate questions and mysteries of life.
Our collective worship centres around our core Christian Values of;
Love, Forgiveness, Happiness, Friendship, Equality, Honesty and Perseverance
We want to encourage our pupils to go out into the world as advocates of these values. Please visit our Key Information and Policies page for our RE and Collective Worship policies.
