Ethos, Christian Vision and Values

ABBA logo 2020

The exemplary Christian ethos of acceptance, inclusion and supportive collaboration within a spirit of high expectations and aspiration is transforming the individual lives of pupils, their families and staff so all flourish. Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) January 2020.

The ethos of our school is underpinned by our Christian Vision and Values, which were reviewed and agreed by the whole school community in 2019. These are woven through all aspects of school life and are evident in the curriculum, worship and day to day activities of St Mary’s School. Our Christian Vision and Values have always been a strength of the school and we live them out in all areas of school life. Our school community and practice is shaped and underpinned by our vision and values in every way.

Our Christian Vision

Our school’s Christian Vision is:

For our children to aspire, believe, belong and achieve, guided by the love of God the Father. This means that love is at the heart of all that we do and is lived out through our Christian values.

 The first letters of these words spell the word ABBA. Importantly for us, this is the Biblical word meaning ‘Father’ and reflects our school’s Christian distinctiveness.

The school’s Christian vision and its integral Christian values are lived out by the whole school family each day. Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) January 2020.

Our Christian Values

These have been developed to reflect and have meaning for our school community of the 2020s. We live out the Christian vision through our associated values of love, respect, fellowship, faith and hope.

The children talk about our values in their lessons and through collective worship and we refer to them throughout the whole of school life and activities. We hope that parents/carers and the whole school community are influenced by these and also experience the way that they allow our learners to flourish.

The school communicates its values well. These ideals underpin school plans and every day practice. Ofsted June 2016.