Christian Values & Our Spirituality

Our agreed core principles:

Kindness, Courage & Character

In addition, we have twelve values which we explore in more depth. These are friendship; forgiveness; truthfulness; generosity; justice; respect; kindness; courage; service; thankfulness; perseverance; trust.

These principles and values are explored on a four-year cycle, which also allows time to observe the Church calendar, national and cultural events and festivals of other faiths and cultures.

To view how we explore each of our core values, click here.

The Main School Rule is

Spirituality

Spirituality is very important at St Francis School. The staff are guided by this when talking with the children and each other, when planning work, teaching, when out at break times. It is central to everything we do, as we believe that children are a gift from God and we take our role in their development as people seriously.

School Statement on Spirituality

To talk about spirituality is, essentially, to talk about something which is beyond words. To make conversations about spirituality more accessible to every member of our school community, St Francis has chosen to follow ideas developed by the Education Department at the Diocese of Gloucester.

This language of spirituality begins from a Christian understanding that everyone is a valued creation, individually and uniquely made by God, like pots made by a potter (Isaiah 64:8). Yet, in life things happen that impact on the physical ‘pot’ of life and create cracks that provide a glimpse of something ‘beyond’ the tangible. Christians would view this as an opportunity to relate to the Divine Creator God.

Cracks may be caused when something so good and breath-taking happens that the pot expands and cracks – the wows of life.

Cracks may happen when something challenging happens and threatens the comfort of everyday – the ows of life.

Cracks can also happen in the stillness and ordinariness of everyday – the nows of life, when a moment of stillness, a pause or prayer creates a crack in the normal, physical every day.

In these special moments there is a spiritual opportunity. Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken ceramics with golden joinery or glue, creates something that has been broken into something even more beautiful. Using this metaphor, the wows, ows and nows of life offer the possibility of cracks that are filled with gold and make the pot even more beautiful. The gold in the cracks reflect a little of the wonder of spirituality.

St Francis uses this language and the concepts of wows, ows and nows. These are used to explore relationships with:

– ourselves

– others

– the wider natural world and beyond

– and offering the invitation to relate to God.

We are always seeking ways in which to develop the children’s spirituality. We recognise that there are planned and unplanned opportunities to do this. We build in planned opportunities each week, and take advantage of any unplanned opportunities as they arise. We also host a Spirituality focused gathering three times a year where children are given a chance to share and reflect upon the impact of our vision and values, and how they experience these in their day to day lives.

Aims

School Vision:

‘Love the lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ (Matthew 22:39)

We believe that children are a gift from God and each one is unique with their own potential and character.

Our school is a diverse community where equality and collaboration are celebrated and where children flourish and develop curiosity and resilience through opportunity and spiritual moments underpinned by a broad and exciting curriculum so that children are ready to take their place in the world.

We want our children to develop a sense of love for God, a love for each other, a love for learning and a love for the world.

We seek to develop in each child:

a sense of self-worth stemming from the recognition that they are created in the image of God (love for ourselves)
an understanding of the source of Christian values, for example, The Bible and Christian tradition
a response to the distinctive ethos of a church school and the content, language and symbolism of the Christian faith
the ability to reflect upon experiences such as awe, compassion and beauty
the ability to recognise that experiences of disappointment, failure and loss may be occasions for spiritual growth and development (OW moments)
the ability to discuss and reflect upon key questions of meaning and truth such as the origins of the universe, life after death, good and evil, the being of God
the ability to consider values such as justice, honesty, truth and responsibility for self and for the planet with which we have been entrusted
a sense of social responsibility demonstrated in practical ways, for example, supporting charities
a sense of being in relationship with others and a growing understanding of what it means to belong to a community (a love for each other)

We seek to provide a learning environment which:

will introduce children to elements of Anglican Christian worship and prayer as an integrated part of school life
will maintain a mutual involvement between St John’s church and the school
will promote understanding of and respect for other world faiths
will encourage caring and respectful relationships
will provide a supportive environment where children can develop self-confidence, self-discipline and a sense of responsibility
enables children to explore, in age-appropriate ways, questions about meaning and purpose, for example about their identity, right and wrong, truth, suffering and relationships
endeavours to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development recognising the uniqueness of each pupil within a Christian context
will create a positive interaction between school and home, the church and the wider community.