Vision and Values
Our School Vision has been developed in consultation with pupils, staff and governors, and has evolved over a number of years:
Our chosen Christian Values are key to our School Vision, and supported by the following, from Paul's letter to the church in Colossus:
Colossians 3:14
14 And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity.
In this scripture, Paul reminds us (and the church of Colossus) that we are children of God, and as such we must clothe ourselves with the characteristics and traits of Jesus. Our school Christian values link closely with those identified by Paul; (and expanded further above) yet, in each of these, we must add love, so that it joins us fully as a church school community. Love welcomes and nurtures, and through loving one another we create an environment where children, staff and visitors feel welcome, safe and valued. Our creative and inclusive curriculum aims to link pupils’ learning together, showing how the skills we learn in one subject can be transferred to others; binding our learning together and helping our pupils develop curious minds.
At Christ Church we have chosen 4 Christian values to be our School Christian Values, and below are the Bible verses which support these. Pupils know what our values are, where they come from and why we have chosen them. We also celebrate other Christian values through our Acts of Collection Worship.
The Biblical Narrative of our Vision and Values:
Joy => John 15:9-12
9 I love you just as the Father loves me; remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. We believe it is vital that pupils understand that joy is not simply a synonym of happiness, but that it is a sense of God’s contentment, peace and fullness in Jesus.
Forgiveness => Ephesians 4:31-32
31 Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. 32 Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ. Paul encourages the church of Ephesus to reject the negative behaviours, and to repay all actions (whether good or not) with kindness, gentleness and forgiveness. Our behaviour policy and use of restorative justice have this at their heart.
Respect => Romans 12:9-13
9 Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good. 10 Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another. 11 Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion. 12 Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times. 13 Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers. Paul encourages the Roman church to work hard, to do their best in all they do. He highlights the importance of sharing belongings, time and energy with those around us, yet again reiterates the importance of doing these things with love for our neighbours.
Honesty => 1 Chronicles 29:16-18
16 O Lord, our God, we have brought together all this wealth to build a temple to honor your holy name, but it all came from you and all belongs to you. 17 I know that you test everyone's heart and are pleased with people of integrity. In honesty and sincerity I have willingly given all this to you, and I have seen how your people who are gathered here have been happy to bring offerings to you. 18 Lord God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, keep such devotion forever strong in your people's hearts and keep them always faithful to you. This scripture was chosen by pupils in the Leading Lights, and was deliberately selected from the Old Testament to reflect their understanding that even in the Garden of Eden, God wanted his children to be honest with Him. The verse reminds us that honesty is not just for when things go wrong, or the way we should strive to always behave, but it instead shows how our honesty gives glory to God.
Our ultimate aim is that children leave Christ Church with a deep-rooted understanding of our school vision and the importance of our chosen Christian values, which will guide them throughout their lives in the decisions they make. We want to offer our pupils a rich academic, social, pastoral and spiritual experience that prepares them for the rest of their lives.
Our Christ Church Code also celebrates our Christian Values:
The Christ Church Code is central to life in school, and is the basis for many different aspects of school life - including our School Prayer, the focus on pupil and staff well-being, our Behaviour Policy, our outreach and project work in the local community etc.
Each of our classes, from Early Years to Year 6, is named after a British and British Territories Cathedral:
At the beginning of each new school year, pupils research their name-sake cathedral, learning about its history, the prominent features of the cathedral, the diocese it serves, and many classes make contact with the cathedral through social media. We are actively involved with our local church and are fortunate to have an excellent working relationship with the Diocese of Rochester, in which our school and community are located.
British Values
Here at Christ Church, we intertwine the values of being a church school with British values. As a result, we educate the children in democracy, the rule of law and their individual liberty throughout our curriculum. Our multi-cultural demographic allows us to welcome families from a variety of religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. To prepare our children to live harmoniously in a multi-cultural society valuing each individual as a unique child of God, it is imperative to develop children with an abundance of mutual respect for people from different faiths, beliefs and background.