Vision and Values
Normanton All Saints CE (A) Infant School’s Vision
Respect… Empower… Grow…
Respect- We respect and love one another
Empower- We encourage and strengthen one another
Grow- We grow and flourish together as individuals within a community
Our vision of Respect, Empower, Grow is rooted in the Church of England’s vision for education, ‘Jesus’ promise of ‘life in all its fulness.’ Our school logo of the butterfly also links directly to our vision of ‘respect, empower, grow.’
Respect: Educating for community, living well together, dignity and respect
Just like the butterfly, we believe that all our children are unique and capable. We strongly believe that positive and respectful relationships are crucial for living well together in our community and are therefore at the centre of daily life in our school. Our Christian Values of ‘Friendship, Forgiveness, Hope, Respect, Thankfulness and Perseverance’ shape and support our young children as they flourish together and grow their wings.
Empower: Educating for hope and aspiration
The butterfly represents change and the opportunity for all to reach their potential and fly high. We empower and equip our children to overcome any challenges, to have high aspirations and be optimistic for the future.
Grow: Educating for wisdom, knowledge and skills
It is our aim to be inspirational and to provide strong and lasting foundations so that our children are knowledgeable, develop a love of learning, are enthusiastic and confident. Our children are unique and have gifts and talents, which are nurtured and celebrated. We encourage them, just like the butterfly, to put on their brightest colours and be proud of who they are.
– Developed by all staff and governors
Our School Prayer
As a school, we believe that Christian Values help to shape and support our children to fulfil their full potential and empower them to make informed choices, flourish socially and prepare them for becoming a confident, respectful and fulfilled member of society. We believe that our Christian Values highlight how Christ is our role model and that no matter what we go through we will always have hope, thankfulness, forgiveness, friendship, respect and perseverance.
Hope
‘Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’
Hebrews 11:1
People hope for lots of things. They may hope for good health; for peace; for food; for love. Where hope is lost sometimes there is misery and anger. ‘Hope generates energy and sustains people through difficult times.’
(Christian Values for Schools)
Thankfulness
‘Give thanks in all circumstances.’
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Thankfulness is very important. People need to say thanks and be grateful for all the wonderful things in our world and appreciate the gifts and talents which we have been given.
Forgiveness
‘Forgive us our sins, as we also forgive everyone who sins against us.’
Luke 11:4
Everyone makes mistakes. It is important that people are compassionate and kind to one another and learn how to forgive. Sometimes people think that all they need to do is say sorry and that everything will be OK. It is key that people learn from their mistakes.
Friendship
‘If one falls down, a friend can lift him up’
Ecclesiastes 4:10
‘Trust, feeling comfortable in each other’s company, being able to share joys and sorrows are all features of friendship and these are things of immense value. True friendship enables each person to grow and ensures that the unique individuality of each person is recognised.’ (Christian Values for Schools)
Respect
‘Be devoted to one another. Honour one another above yourselves.’
Romans 12:10
People need to respect each other, respect the world they live in and also respect themselves. It is important that they treat others the same way they would like to be treated.
Perseverance
‘Let us not grow weary of doing good … do not give up.’
Galatians 6:9
Perseverance is possible where there is hope and hope is based on love and faith. It is important to work towards your goal and not give up even when situations are difficult and challenging. Others can offer help, support and guidance.
We are proud of our close links with Normanton All Saints Parish Church and the local community.
These links strongly support our teaching of Christian values and beliefs.
We use the Church as a teaching and learning resource and regularly visit to explore various aspects of Christian life.
Throughout the academic year we celebrate Christian festivals such as Harvest, Christmas, Easter and Mothering Sunday.
Through our engaging, hands on curriculum we also provide opportunities for our learners to experience mock weddings and baptisms.
Find our more about All Saints Church »
Collective Worship
Revd Murray alongside other members of our Church, regularly come into school to lead Collective Worship.
They work closely alongside the Collective Worship team to plan and deliver worship linked to our Christian Values, current themes and issues and also the Church’s liturgical calendar. Collective Worship also regularly takes place in our Church.
Each year we celebrate All Saints’ Day with a special service held in All Saints’ Church. Members of our Church come into school to support by listening to children read and to join in with events such as our Christingle making workshop.
All Saints’ brass band perform at our annual Christingle worship for pupils, staff and families.
Hand to Mouth
To further enhance our RE curriculum and Collective Worship we provide our pupils with many interactive and engaging opportunities by inviting visitors into our school.
Hand to Mouth are a small Christian charity. They use ‘Godly Play’, ‘The Amazing Journey’ and ‘Exploring Christianity through the arts’ to retell stories from the Bible and to explore Christian values and teachings.
Hand to Mouth visit our school each term. Members of our Church also come into school to work with the children. Our ‘Moving On Journey’ is an excellent tool to help support our Year 2 pupils in their transition to their next school.
Links with the local community
We highly value the strong links we have with our local community. We support local community projects such as The Well Project through our bring a tin to school event.
As part of our Harvest festival we deliver food parcels to our local neighbours and members of our Church, which are always greatly appreciated.
We also support and take part in events run by Normanton Town Council such as the scarecrow competition, the Easter colouring competition and the Christmas market stall.
Our Church fully support and are highly involved in our local community work.
“Messy Church” Days
Our Early Years Foundation Stage plan and organise ‘Messy Church’ themed days to support their teaching of Christian celebrations and key events, such as Christmas, Easter, Lent, Harvest.
Art and craft, music and drama activities provide a creative way to help our young children explore key messages from the Bible.
These days are supported by members of the Church who help lead small group activities.
Prayer Group
Each half term we lead a lunchtime prayer group in school, alongside Revd Murray. Families, pupils, staff and members of our Church are invited to come along if they wish to.
This is a special time when we can gather to reflect, be peaceful and to pray together.
All Saints Partnership Agreement
The All Saints Partnership is a collaborative partnership of Wakefield church schools and academies who believe in the value of sharing knowledge, experience and resources, in order to strive for excellence in the communities that we serve.
“For the body is not one member, but many.”
1 Corinthians 12:14-16
We are one and we are strongest working together in unity. Teamwork is the key to living life in harmony.
The aims of our partnership are to:
- Work collaboratively to improve teaching and learning across a broad and balanced range of subjects.
- To achieve high standards across the partnership through sharing best practise and collaborative moderation.
- Through joint CPD and network groups, we provide support for curriculum development.
- Promote mental wellbeing and spiritual development through positive relationships with ourselves, each other, the transcendent, nature and the environment
- To develop our community cohesion by providing opportunities for our children to grow in mutual respect and recognition of the diversity across the local and wider community, by enriching their cultural capital and developing them as well-rounded, global citizens.
- To improve governance by developing networks, sharing good practise and joint training in order to ensure that governors are confident in their role and know what is expected of them to be effective.
We will achieve these aims by:
- Providing opportunities for headteachers and senior leaders to network.
- Allowing senior leadership members to take part in training.
- Allowing all staff members to visit other schools within the partnership to develop their own practice.
- For middle leaders at all levels to access development opportunities and to share best practice.
- By sharing our Diocesan consultancy allocations for CPD.
- By providing opportunities for our DSLs to work in collaboration during Safeguarding Network meetings.
- Providing opportunities for our children to collaborate and to come together to share unique opportunities (such as participating in cultural learning and sporting activities).
The schools within the partnership are rooted in a Christian ethos. It enables them to draw on the strengths of each school. By working together, the partnership enables the schools to retain and enhance our unique Christian curriculums. We recognise that each of the schools within the partnership will remain unique and autonomous in order to effectively meet the needs of their children and their communities.
TERMS OF THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
- The partnership is not intended to create a legally binding agreement between the Governing bodies/schools. However, it cements the collaboration and secures ownership by all parties to help future proof the governance model.
- The partnership shall be reviewed annually by stakeholders to ensure that it is fulfilling its purpose and to make any necessary revisions. The Governing Bodies of the partner schools/academies will be asked to approve any significant revisions to the partnership.
THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT:
- Be construed as a first step towards any more formal arrangement.
- Imply any movement towards joint or shared headship or governance.
- Support any expectation that HTs, leaders or other staff will ALWAYS be available to support other schools in the agreement.
- Imply any preference towards staff from partnership schools, when making staff appointments.
The DfE have recently reinforced the need-
“to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools 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, and these values were reiterated by the Government in 2014.
At Normanton All Saints CE (A) Infant School, British Values and our Christian Values are embedded in everyday school life and are regularly promoted through high quality teaching, a broad and balanced curriculum, Collective Worship and a positive behaviour policy. Fundamental British Values are also promoted through our Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development of pupils, our application of Philosophy for Children principles and during our RHE and RE lessons. Pupils are provided with opportunities to develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.
Democracy
Our school behaviour policy is clear that children are expected to contribute and co-operate, taking into account the views of others. This policy clearly includes the need for rewards and sanctions.
Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through different groups within the school, which include the School Council, Collective Worship, Playground Buddies, Woodland Watch and Sports Council. These groups meet regularly to discuss issues, put forward their ideas and opinions and participate in decision making for the school.
The School Council consists of two members from each class who are nominated and voted for. They are involved in the organisation of the Christmas Market Stall in order to raise money to support our link school in Buhema, Tanzania. The School Council also visit Normanton Town Council where they take part in mock council meetings to voice their ideas for the local community. They have been involved in local projects such as little picking and bulb planting, alongside organisations such as WDH.
Our Collective Worship Committee play an important role in the planning, delivery and evaluation of Collective Worship. They lead the lunchtime prayer group, which includes members of the church and the community.
Rule of Law
Pupils are continually taught to recognise the difference between right and wrong and the importance of applying this in their daily lives. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service are a regular part of our curriculum events and help reinforce this message.
We have a behaviour policy, which reflects the rights of a child. We consistently reinforce our high expectations of all children. Children are taught the value and reasons behind our rights and responsibilities (our rules). They know that these rights are here to protect us, that everyone has a responsibility and that there are consequences when rules are broken.
The three rights (our rules) are:
- Everybody has the right to feel and be safe.
- Everybody has the right to learn.
- Everybody has the right to be treated with respect.
It is everybody’s responsibility to keep these rights.
Individual Liberty
Within school, pupils are encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment to enable them to do this. Through our RHE curriculum we discuss different choices that the children can make and we encourage them to make the right choices. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their choices and are taught about the effect that this has on both their peers and adults. They are given opportunities to resolve conflicts effectively and fairly. Through e-safety we teach the importance of keeping safe when using technology. Visitors, such as the Police, and assemblies, such as the NSPCC Pants Campaign, talk about the importance of safety and how important it is to protect people from harm.
Mutual respect
Our whole school ethos is built around the Christian Values of Friendship, Perseverance, Respect, Thankfulness, Forgiveness and Hope. We believe that respect for others is a vital component of moral development. We are an inclusive school where everyone is highly valued and respected. Adults act as positive role models and they demonstrate and promote respect for others. Staff help children to understand how to respect each other by talking about how actions and words can impact on the feelings of others. We value the teaching ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ (Matthew 22:39).
We encourage open discussions in all areas but particularly in lessons which promote citizenship such as RHE and through circle time. Pupils are encouraged to discuss and debate global and local issues. Our global partnerships have provided opportunities for pupils to appreciate similarity and difference and to build relationship between children in different parts of the world. We have strong links with the local community and pupils take part in events such as Harvest festival deliveries, carol concerts at the local care home and a Christmas ‘lost sheep’ hunt around the local businesses and shops.
Tolerance of those of different Faiths and Beliefs
Through our teaching we help pupils to understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity. Our reflection areas, including our Spiritual Gardens, provide opportunities for pupils to be still, reflect, think and ask and answer their own questions.
Pupils are provided with opportunities, through our RHE, RE curriculum and our local and global links, to learn from each other by sharing and celebrating different faiths, cultures and beliefs. Our curriculum incorporates teaching and learning opportunities for pupils to explore aspects of the wider world and develop an appreciation of cultural diversity. We celebrate a range of different festivals within the school such as Chinese New Year, Divali, Hanukah and Christmas.
Members of different faiths or religions are invited into the school to share their knowledge to enhance learning. Visits to places of worship, such as different Churches and the Synagogue, also take place across each year group and provide valuable first hand experiences. We have a very close relationship with our church and members of the church lead Collective Worship and participate in school events.