Vision Statement

We aim to enable every child to flourish in their potential as a child of God, to achieve without limits and to become an agent of change. We are committed to fostering good mental health and wellbeing for our whole school community. Our school is completely inclusive and distinctively Christian. 

Theological underpinning of our Vision Statement

We aim to enable every child to flourish in their potential as a child of God,

The foundational Christian belief about every human being is that we are all beautiful, because we are made in the image of God. ‘God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them’ (Genesis 1:27). That means that we are all to be equally valued, and that we were all made for creativity, collaboration and community with God and each other.

to achieve without limits and to become an agent of change.

The Biblical picture is also that God gives us responsibility and opportunity. ‘The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and care for it’ (Genesis 2:15). Our life has meaning and purpose. We are here to care for our planet, our community, and each other. We want everyone to be bold: to become the best that we can be and to discover that our lives can make a difference.

We are committed to fostering good mental health and wellbeing for all.

The heart of the Christian message is Jesus, and our year is shaped by his story. We celebrate his birth as the Light of the world (John 9:5), and so try to live so that our lives shine brightlyy, too. We rejoice in his resurrection, through which he gives us hope and joy. And throughout the year we  remember that he came ‘to give life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10).

Our school is completely inclusive and distinctively Christian. 

Jesus came to show God’s love to everyone without distinction (Galatians 3:28). He calls us to follow his example by loving God and our neighbour, including especially the last, the least and the lost (Luke 10:25-37). We therefore welcome families of any faith and none, whatever their background or circumstances. And at the heart of our school is the love of God: his love for us and our love for him and one another.

WE ARE BOLD, BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL!

To support our children to live our vision we developed out Faith ID. This is the practical outworking of our Vision in children's language. We use this to support good behaviour and encourage courageous learning. We have our own school song based on the following:

Our Faith ID

We stand shoulder to shoulder always ready to forgive

We use our heads to make good choices and achieve our best in all we do

We use our eyes and ears to learn what Jesus teaches us

We open our hearts to trust and worship God

We join our hands in love and friendship

We use our tongues truthfully and responsibly

We use our feet to share God's love with our community

British Values at St Richard's.

Some years ago the DfE set the expectation  that schools need to“ promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”

The government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy. At St Richard’s CE Primary School these values are reinforced regularly through our Faith ID which underpins our ethos and also in the following ways:

Democracy - making decisions together:

Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council and Pupil Surveys. There is a voting process to become a School Councillor each year. Our school behaviour policy involves rewards which the pupils decide on as a class group. The School Council are involved in key decisions e.g. choosing which charity to support, how to reward children in school etc. Children also participate in an annual pupils survey to share their views.

Rule of law - understanding rules matter:

The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout the school day through our behaviour management processes and collective worship. Pupils develop their own class rules/codes of conduct to support their understanding of law-making. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken.

Individual liberty - freedom for all:

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make good choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. Pupils are encouraged to understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms safely, for example through our E-Safety and PSHEE curriculum.  

Mutual respect and tolerance - treat others as you want to be treated:

Mutual respect is at the core of our Faith ID and our behaviour policy. Pupils have regular opportunities to explore what this means and how it is shown. This is reiterated through our classroom rules and our use of Restorative Approaches in resolving conflicts.

Mutual respect and tolerance: treat others as you want to be treated:

This is achieved through giving pupils a variety of opportunities to experience and celebrate our culturally diverse community.  During Collective Worship, assemblies, PHSE lessons and Circle Time pupils have the opportunity to regularly consider prejudices and prejudice-based bullying. Members of different faiths, religions and those of no faith are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning and promote tolerance within classes and the school.

What is not acceptable :

• actively promoting intolerance of other faiths, cultures and races
• failure to challenge gender stereotypes and routinely segregate girls and boys
• isolating children from their wider community
• failure to challenge behaviours (whether of staff, children or parents) that are not in line with the fundamental British values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs

Prevent Duty

Separately, the Counter Terrorism and Security Act also places a duty on schools “to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism” (the Prevent duty). Statutory guidance on the duty is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance