Our school vision statement 

Our Church School Vision and Values are absolutely integral to everything that we do as a school. This page starts with our school vision statement and explains its theological underpinning and why we have chosen to use this image and bible verse. We have then explained our school values and finally, outlined how our vision statement links to the Exe Valley Federation, Diocese of Exeter and Church of England visions for education. This helps us to understand how we fit into the wider family of church schools at local, regional and national levels.

Our Church School Vision for Education

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven

Matthew 5: 14-16

We have worked together as a school to develop our vision. We have drawn on Jesus words in the Sermon on the Mount, when he was teaching the crowds about being the light of the world. He said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.” [Matthew 5 v 14 to 16].

This verse was chosen by one of our children and reflects the importance of our school at the heart of its community. Our school is beacon of hope in difficult times and we point to the teaching and life of Jesus as the way to live, both now and in the future.

 Our Church School Values for Education

Supporting our vision, are our five values; dignity, community, hope, wisdom and love, which underpins all the others. We believe that these values help us to fulfil our vision and to enable our lives to shine out like lights in the darkness.

We try to reflect Paul’s description of love. ’Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not selfish, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in bad things but it rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.’ [1 Corinthians 13: 4-7].

Love shapes who we are, how we relate to each other and how we learn together. Everyone in our community is valued, known and loved. Because of this love, we treat each other with dignity. We recognise the intrinsic worth of each other and talk kind with each other to encourage and build each other up. We take our inspiration from the way that Jesus cared for people on the edges of society and how his interactions changed their lives. We find this in the example of Jesus’ interactions with Zacchaeus, when he said to the tax collector, “Zacchaeus, I must stay at your house today.” [Luke 19 v 1 to 10].

Being part of a loving, learning community, we understand that when we work well together we can achieve more than when we work alone. Building strong community is the foundation of who we are, recognising and valuing each other’s’ strengths and talents. We draw inspiration from 1 Corinthians 12, recognising that we are a body of different parts of equal value, as well as Paul’s exultation to the Thessalonians to ‘Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.’ [1 Thessalonians 5 v 11].

In any dynamic community, things do not always go well but we recognise that failure does not need to have the last word. As a church school we value the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation and want to support children realise their full potential, broaden their horizons and have hope for the future. We draw inspiration from Jeremiah, who reminds us that God has plans for each of us to prosper us and give us hope for a future: “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to give you a future and a hope.” [Jeremiah 29 v 11].

Finally, we want our children to be life-long learners, to build strong foundations and to grow in wisdom. Luke records in his gospel that Jesus, “Grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.” [Luke 2 v 40]. This includes knowing how to apply the things they know and creating their own ethical and moral compass. It also includes knowing how to discern which “voices” to listen to and where to draw inspiration. As a school community, we draw our inspiration from Galatians 5, where we are told the fruits of living God’s way are joy, peace, patience, perseverance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Our Federation Vision for Education

Our school is part of the Exe Valley Federation  group of schools, which includes three church schools and four community schools in Mid and East Devon. The federation’s vision statement is:

In a creative, caring environment, we all support and challenge each other to develop confidence and independence. As active global citizens, we are inspired to discover and succeed in lifelong learning.

CHALLENGE   DISCOVER   SUCCEED

Our children challenge themselves to be the best that they can be and challenge everyone to make the world a better place; discover more every day about themselves and the world around them; experience and celebrate their own and other peoples’ successes. 

Challenge

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenges his followers to be both salt and light in the world. In our schools, we are challenged to live out the teachings of Jesus in our everyday life by promoting a culture of high expectations and by challenging and supporting each other in the best way possible, through our curriculum design, teaching and learning.

 Discover

As we learn to live as lights in the world, we discover how Jesus’ teaching can have a positive impact on our lives. We learn to value each other, with all our differences and to learn from our mistakes. We also discover how we can contribute to the world around us and make a positive difference to our schools, communities and the environment.

Succeed

When we live as lights in the world, sharing the teachings of Jesus and the church with those around us, we will be able to share success in many different forms. As a beacon of light in the world, we will equip our children to be safe, happy and confident so that they can achieve the best possible outcomes.

 Diocesan  and Church of England Vision for Education

The Church of England’s vision for education, ‘Deeply Christian, serving the common good’, echoes the school’s vision to shine as a beacon of hope and service in the world, following the teachings of Jesus and the church through the years.

The concept of enabling children and adults to flourish is recognised by the Diocese of Exeter’s vision for education and this concept has been helpful to us in creating our own vision as a family of schools and as an individual school within the Exe Valley Federation.

To enable all, through the love of God in Jesus Christ, to ‘live life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10b); nurture vision-inspired education, nourish personal and spiritual growth and enable connected communities that flourish.

Diocese of Exeter's Vision for Education