Our Vision, Ethos & Values | Laxfield Primary

Our Christian ethos, vision and linked bible story (The Good Samaritan) are at the heart of everything we do.

Rooted in the Christian faith, and collaborated on by all stakeholders in 2019/2020, our ethos of

‘A Family. Uniquely made and loved by God’

together with our core values of Friendship, Forgiveness, Love, Thankfulness, Perseverance and Respect have underpinned all that we do.

We strive to create a calm, safe setting in which all children and adults can flourish. We want our children to become confident, articulate, successful learners and compassionate, responsible citizens.

With our ethos as our foundation we show our pupils that through excellent behaviour, an ambitious curriculum and high quality teaching they can achieve great things.

Our Aims

To offer teaching and learning through a broad and balanced curriculum, in which the knowledge, skills and understanding gained can be used now and developed, as the pupils grow older.
To offer a personalised curriculum, encouraging thinking skills, problem solving, resilience and adaptability.
To encourage the development of moral and religious values on which children may base a personal code of behaviour.
To provide a supportive and caring atmosphere in which high expectations allow children to achieve their best.
To respect different cultures, religions, opinions and lifestyles.
To help the children to develop effective and fulfilling relationships with each other and other people.
To encourage the children to develop an aesthetic sensitivity.
To encourage children to take pride in their surroundings and to be responsible for caring for the environment.
To establish an environment within pupils, teaching and non-teaching staff, governors, advisors, parents, carers, the community and the church can work together for the successful achievement of these aims.

Our Core Values

Friendship

Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy. (Proverbs 27 v9)

At All Saints we know that friendships are a vital part of life for both children and adults. Jesus came to be a

friend for all sinners and to lay down his life for his friends ( John 15: 13-15). The Bible teaches us that fellowship (friendship) with God through forgiveness of our sins was Jesus’ purpose in dying on the cross and so we strive to help our children make and sustain positive friendships with each other and with God.

Forgiveness

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

This is probably one of the most difficult of Jesus’ teachings to put into practice and yet it is fundamental to the Christian faith. At All Saints, we demonstrate forgiveness in our daily interactions with the children and PSHE lessons. We encourage the children to practice forgiveness in their interactions with each other.

Thankfulness

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 107:1)

Thankfulness is a wholehearted response to God. It comes from a consciousness of God’s blessings and is a central part of Christian worship, praise and prayer. At All Saints, we teach the children to be thankful for the many things God has given them and encourage them to demonstrate their thankfulness of others and to

others through words and deeds.

Respect

Do to others, what you would have them do to you. (Matthew 7:12)

In all he did, Jesus demonstrated respect and love for those around him, no matter their personal

circumstances. The Bible teaches that as Christians we should practice humility and at All Saints we believe

this value to be extremely important. We teach the children to be considerate and compassionate and to help us build a community based on respect for others, our environment and ourselves.

Perseverance

Blessed is the one who perseveres. (John 1:12)

Jesus frequently encouraged his disciples to ‘endure patiently’ the difficulties and obstacles they encountered in the face of adversity. He also told the parable of the persistent widow ( Luke 18: 1-8) in order to demonstrate

the importance of persistent prayer. At All Saints, we value perseverance as a life skill as well as an opportunity to follow Jesus’ teachings. We teach the children to persevere at the tasks they don’t like or are less confident in just as much as the tasks they love and help them to celebrate the effort as much as the

result.

Love

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:12)

Love is more important than anything else. Its what ties everything completely together. (Colossians 3:14)

At All Saints, love underpins everything we do. It is the ‘why’ of who we are. The Bible is clear – God loves us and sent his son to die for us. The original word in the New Testament for God’s love is agape. Agape means putting others before ourselves. It is a selfless love. We believe that by living out this love in all we do, we can create a school where both adults and children feel safe, supported and part of a family in which they can achieve more - socially, academically and morally.

British Values at All Saints Laxfield Primary School

We take seriously our responsibilities to prepare the children for life in modern Britain. We ensure these British Values are introduced, discussed and lived out through the ethos and work of the school. Children are taught to believe in themselves and pursue excellence through hard work, within a climate of high expectations and support. At All Saints Laxfield, our children benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum which contain units of work which are underpinned by British values and British culture.

Values of tolerance and respect permeate all areas of school life. Our children feel safe and secure and work towards the fulfilment of their potential.

Our PSHE and RE Curriculums encourage respect and appreciation of everyone and their individual beliefs and values.

As a Church of England School we teach these values and Christian ideas underpin our vision and ethos. We encourage tolerance and value everyone. Children are rewarded for effort, kindness and thoughtfulness. We work closely with the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and our school is regularly inspected by the National Society of Anglican and Methodist Schools.

At All Saints Laxfield Primary School, these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy

Democracy is embedded at our school. Pupils are listened to by adults and are taught to actively listen to one another, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. Pupils have the opportunity to share opinions and ideas through the School Council and regular 'pupil voice' questionnaires. Elections of the School Council members are based solely on pupil votes after children thought about who would be best to represent their class views. This was designed to reflect the British electoral system.

The Rule of Law

Staff consistently reinforce high expectations of pupils. Whenever appropriate pupils are taught the value and reasons behind these expectations (rules), that they are there to protect us, everyone has responsibility and there may be consequences when rules are disregarded.

Individual Liberty

Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. Our children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely through many curriculum subjects, particularly in PSHE and online safety lessons.

Mutual Respect

Respect is an important value to the children and staff of All Saints Primary school and it is deeply embedded in learning and behaviour. Children understand that it is expected and that it is imperative that respect to shown to everyone, whatever differences we may have, and to everything, however big or small. It underpins our work every day, both in and out of the classroom.

Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

The school's curriculum aims to develop understanding of the world. The RE and PSHE schemes of work provide opportunities for pupils to develop tolerance of and empathy towards those from different faiths, beliefs and cultures.