Our vision is to create a nurturing and enquiring environment where individuals develop a sense of wonder, awe, and mystery. We aim to explore the spiritual claims and moral dimensions of the Christian faith, fostering spiritual beliefs and moral values. Through empathy, cooperation, and reflection, we seek to find worth, meaning, and purpose in life, inspired by qualities such as imagination, creativity, compassion, and human achievement. Additionally, we celebrate cultural and religious diversity, recognizing and respecting the richness it brings.
Our Rainbow Values form a central tenant for our school and play a very influential role in a school life. They were developed by our community to provide a set of values that would help to empower all of us.
Each of our Rainbow Values has a biblical quote attached to it and a different value is explored each half term:
Love
Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus answered ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: Love your neighbour as you love yourself.'
Kindness
Luke 10:25-37
Parable of the Good Samaritan
Cooperation
Romans 12:6a
We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace that God gave us.
Trust
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust the Lord with all your heart.
Don’t depend on your own understanding.
Remember the Lord in everything you do.
And he will give you success.
Responsibility
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, 'Let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And let them rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky. Let them rule over the tame animals, over all the earth and over all the small crawling animals on the earth.'
Respect
1 Peter 2:17
Show respect for all people. Love the brothers and sisters of God’s family. Respect God.
Honesty
Psalm 25:21
My hope is in you. So may goodness and honesty guard me.
(From the International Children’s Bible translation version)
It is important to consider what is meant by spiritual development so that, as we attempt to move toward it, we have as clear an idea as possible of what we mean.
Spiritual development is a process of growth and, in the same way that there can be moral development, there can be spiritual development.
We use the concept of Mirrors, Window, and Doors. Please see the diagram below:
Spiritual development has many aspects and, as a school, we aim to provide learning opportunities that will enable children to:
The school’s approach to spiritual and moral development is evident through the following:
Spiritual development can be encouraged through:
Through classroom discussions, we will give the children opportunities to:
Each term, we have a whole school Spirituality Day, which gives staff and children the opportunity to immerse themselves in a theme (e.g. Advent, Remembrance, Responsibility). An Agape Service for the whole school community, is the focal point of the day. This is led by a different year group in turn, held in the church and to which parents of the year group leading are invited. During the day, there are planned opportunities for reflection, wonder, questioning, stillness, reverence and a deeper understanding of the beliefs of others is developed. Members of the Clergy and some of our Governors are actively involved in these days which give children the opportunity to experience a diverse range of approaches.
In addition, the school environment is more conducive to spiritual development when:
It is important that children are given clear guidance as to what is right and wrong and what is not acceptable behaviour, so that they can develop a moral code of their own that is socially acceptable.
The foundation for this guidance is the school Rainbow Values;
Further guidance is in the Rainbow Rules;
Love: We will not judge people based on what we think or what we see but keep an open mind so we can learn who people really are.
Kindness: We will always use kind actions and kind words towards one another.
Cooperation: We will listen to each other and use positive comments so we can work together well.
Trust: We will treat private spaces with respect and complete our special roles responsibly, to earn trust.
Responsibility: We will take responsibility for our actions, our learning, our environment, and our well-being.
Respect: We will show respect by being thoughtful of other people by listening, waiting for our turn, speaking politely and not disturbing people who are working.
Honesty: If something goes wrong, we will tell the truth when asked.
As well as our Rainbow Values, we also explore other important values, for example;
Moral development has many aspects and, as a school, we aim to provide learning opportunities that will enable children to:
Moral development can be encouraged through:
Social development, which is essential for providing our children with the skills to make and sustain positive relationships, involves several aspects:
Social development has many aspects and, as a school, we aim to provide learning opportunities that will enable children to:
Social development is encouraged by:
Encouraging good manners and courtesy in children benefits the school as a whole. This includes:
The standards of behaviour expected by our school are based on our school vision and values, as outlined in the Behaviour and Relationship Policy.
Whole school events to promote social development are planned regularly. These include our annual service of Remembrance, our support of The Lord’s Larder and welcoming a variety of visitors to talk about their role within the community.
Liaison with pre-schools and secondary schools to support the primary curriculum and effective transition is an established part of the school year.
CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Cultural development has many aspects and, as a school, we aim to provide learning opportunities that will enable children to:
In school, it can involve:
