Key Values
Values are standards or principles of behaviour. Every cultural, religious, philosophical and ethical system has developed a range of values. Many of these values are shared, and have come to be regarded as common values for all humankind.
As a Church of England School we link our understanding of these values closely with Christian tradition, with the stories in the Bible, and especially with the life and teaching of Jesus. We refer to our understanding of these values as ‘Christian Values’. We believe that living and learning according to these values enables us to be the best that we can be, respecting ourselves, each other and the world of which we are a part.
The whole School has thought about the range of values in our tradition. From them, we have chosen three key values to be our Christian Values;
In celebration of our new school motto - 'Bringing out the best in one another' our focus value this term is Service.
In Collective Worship we have been learning about;
- biblical characters who served God
- members of our local community who 'serve' others
- the importance of remembering those who 'served' in wars and conflict
- ways in which we can serve each other and our local, national and global communities.
The 'Home School Values' leaflet below is provided to enable you to explore 'Service' through fun activities that the whole family can do together. It provides age-appropriate topics to stimulate discussion and reflection.
The Rationale for our Key Values
Service
Jesus taught that the most important things in life are to love God, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. There are countless ways in which we can love and serve our neighbours, those near at hand and those far away. They range from charitable donations and impressive gestures to daily, ‘little unremembered acts of kindness and of love’. Through acts of service (no matter how small) our pupils can 'see and feel' another world breaking into their everyday lives. From this other world come shafts of light, joy and happiness; for some, these represent God's love for us. It is our dedication to the service of others that enables us all to flourish and live well together.
Hope
The Christian virtue of hope provides our pupils with aspirations, it encourages them to make positive choices and gives them hope for the communities of which they are part. Hope motivates them to fulfil their potential, which we believe is God-given, whatever their background or circumstances, it keeps them going through difficulties, disappointments, failure and suffering and inspires them to be courageous advocates for change.
Compassion
Compassion allows us through acts of kindness, love, and self-sacrifice to have both a positive view of life and our place in the world. A compassionate attitude towards others, we feel, is essential for the growth of every person in our School. Compassion moves us to show concern for others, especially the suffering and those who are having a hard time; it also helps us value and protect the myriad beauty of our planet. Compassion also gives us courage to stand up for what is right and just, and not to "pass by on the other side".
