Vision, Ethos and Values

At Bishop Ian Ramsey Church of England Primary School, our vision is to provide excellent education in a caring community that enables everyone to ‘Shine as a Light in the World, to the glory of God the Father’ (Philippians 2:15).

The call to ‘Shine as a Light in the World' is rooted in scripture, particularly in Philippians 2:15, when the apostle Paul urges followers of Jesus to use their gifts, to serve without grumbling and to value others above themselves. It is also the commission with which the newly baptised are sent out into the world, often with a lighted candle to symbolise the light of Christ present in and with them. It is a whole life calling, and our role in supporting and nurturing the early years of formal education is founded on this principle. 

We are a Church of England school, founded on Christian beliefs, which are at the heart of our work and daily life. These are expressed through our core Christian values;

• Trust
• Respect
• Compassion
• Hope

These values run through everything we do, forming the basis for a secure, caring and happy environment which encourages everyone to 'shine their light'

Our curriculum, wider personal development offer, relationships with families and partnerships with the local church and community are rooted in this set of values. 

We encourage and support all children to be happy, active and independent learners, to develop as individuals who respect themselves and others, with strong foundations that will enable them to continue to grow as good citizens and to 'shine as lights in the world', using their gifts to the full to help others.

As a church school and 'a place where everyone can flourish', we aim to create an environment that will nurture people’s minds, body and soul. We believe that spirituality should influence all areas of education and life. Therefore, we ensure that throughout the curriculum there are rich deep-thinking opportunities which contribute to pupils’ spiritual development.

As a school we believe we believe spirituality is unique to every person and is a very personal experience. We believe by exploring Spirituality by educating the whole child and providing experiences supports our school vision to allow everyone to flourish. We define Spirituality as a personal journey to nurture the soul. It is something that allows us to explore and question things that are bigger than us and help understand relationships with themselves and others, with nature, the environment and the world and with God. We recognise being Spiritual is not the same as having a faith - a person can be spiritual without having a faith.

Spiritual development relates to fundamental questions about the meaning and purpose of life which affect everyone and is not dependent on a religious affiliation.

As a church school we are guided by the Christian faith and Christian values which Christians hold dear. However, we truly welcome all and we openly encourage children to reflect in the way that suits them best, enabling them to participate in an ongoing process of spiritual realisation and to flourish in a way that will help them find peace, comfort and strength throughout life's ever-changing journey.

“Spirituality is not something we can see; it is something we feel inside ourselves. It is about awe and wonder, asking questions, inspiration and being aware of something ‘bigger’ than ourselves.”

We achieve this by:

• Guiding children to notice and care about the nature that surrounds them.
• Encouraging them to ask questions about life, religion, science and any other areas of fascination.
• Providing geography, history and science lessons about the world around them and beyond; instilling a desire to help on a local and global scale when they can.
• Using our Christian values to instil: self and mutual respect; love for themselves and others; a confidence to set goals and confidence in others to support them to achieve; hopes for themselves and their peers and an understanding that they can grow emotionally in a safe space.
• Promoting a free and open dialogue in RE and PSHE lessons, where children feel comfortable to express their beliefs and compare views with others, to respectfully disagree, share feelings and opinions through discussions and stories.
• Allowing children to begin to develop their own system of beliefs which may or may not include religious beliefs, without fear of judgment.