Aims and Values
Vision Statement:
In loving Christian Fellowship we equip everyone to have a Passion for life and learning; to have Pride in our local community and be Thankful for all the parts which make us whole; building Hope and resilience to Persevere and develop a sense of Humility and Purpose in our lives.
Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16 v 13-14
This text from 1 Corinthians encompasses all we do, all we stand for, all we strive towards.
Because of our love for one another we endeavour to live in Hope, Humility, and Thankfulness in Fellowship with each other. These Christian values of Fellowship, Humility, Hope and Thankfulness link closely with our learning values: Passion, Pride, Perseverance and Purpose.
Our Mission Statement:
At Oakham Church of England Primary School, we provide an exceptionally caring, purposeful, inclusive, non-discriminatory environment where everyone is valued and encouraged to persevere to achieve their potential as well as have respect for God and His world. This means:
We encourage our children to be passionate: to be courageous and have the strength of character to stand up for what they believe to be right, to fight injustice and stand firm.
Romans 15 v 7: Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
1 Corinthians 16 v 13-14: Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
We Fellowship with one another
We teach our children to have Pride in God’s world; to keep alert for ways to build up ourselves, our school and our society; to care about the world God has given us, to look after it and ensure it is sustainable and able to provide for the needs of all.
Psalm 8 v 3-4: When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Psalm 24 v1-2: The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
We show Humility towards others
We encourage Perseverance; to stand firm in your faith, to ensure children have the resilience to learn from their mistakes, to provide a safe, caring environment where children develop morals, with space to develop their spirituality and own beliefs.
Isaiah 40 v 31: But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40 v 29: He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
We live in the Hope of Christ
We help children to find their Purpose in their world; to be strong. We provide a meaningful education and opportunities so that children develop into well-rounded individuals where all abilities, skills and achievements can be celebrated.
Jeremiah 29 v 11: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.
Psalm 119 v 110: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
In all circumstances we give Thanks
Our Mission Statement concluded: ‘We are committed to personalised learning where every person matters, every person is passionate to succeed. Oakham Church of England Primary School is a school to be proud of.’
Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.
British Values:
At Oakham Church of England Primary School we also uphold the British Values of:
Democracy
Rule of law
Individual liberty
Mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and those without faith.
British Values Statement:
The Department for Education state that there is a need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.” The government has set out its definition of British values in the ‘Prevent Strategy’ and emphasises that schools are required to ensure these values are taught across the United Kingdom. At Oakham CofE Primary School we have always recognised the importance of educating our children so that they understand the multi-cultural and multi-faith Britain we live in today. We ensure our children are ready to contribute to an every changing society. At Oakham C of E Primary School we reinforce these values regularly and in the following ways:
Democracy:
Democracy is embedded at our school. Through our collective worship programme, children are taught to listen carefully and with concern for each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard whether they are members of our own school community or not. Our children are taught the value of respecting themselves and others around them not only through collective worship, but also during class time. Children also have the opportunity to air their opinions and ideas through our House Captains, Ethos Ambassadors and Sports Council. Children are invited to apply for the role of Sports Council and there are success criteria for choosing the successful candidates. House Captains for each of our four Houses are elected by the children in their House team. Questionnaires and Snack and Chat interviews are another way of ensuring the children have a voice. Our Behaviour Policy involves both rewards and consequences; children are clear about the expectations of them. We always seek, wherever possible, to offer opportunities to ensure our children can participate in a democratic process.
The Rule of Law:
The importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school or the country, is consistently reinforced through our curriculum, behaviour system and during collective worship. Each class discuss the school rules to ensure they are clearly understood by all, this ensures that every child is able to learn in a safe environment and adhere to either whole school rules or certain rules bespoke to their class. We expect children to behave impeccably when they are on trips outside of school and feedback often suggests that this is the case. Children are taught, through our behaviour system, about what happens if they break the rules and that the wrong choices have consequences. Visits from authorities such as the Police and Fire Service are regular parts of our curriculum and help reinforce that laws of the land are in place to protect us.
Individual Liberty:
Within school children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we provide boundaries for our children to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and an inclusive education. Our children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely; examples of this can be clearly seen in our teaching of e-safety and collective worship lessons. Whether it is through the curriculum or through participation in our numerous extra-curricular activities, our children are given the freedom to make choices. Children are also given the opportunity to be engaged in their learning through the use of personal negotiated targets and self-assessment of their work.
Mutual Respect:
Respect is evident at our school and can be seen in lessons in every classroom and around the school. Children are taught our school values of Fellowship, Passion, Humility, Pride, Hope, Perseverance, Thankfulness and Purpose through daily interaction, religious education, collective worship PSHE and school rules. Additional support is provided for individual pupils, through our caring and nurturing ethos. The support helps to develop self-esteem and to give pupils strategies to help improve their respect of themselves and others. The value of Respect along with those written above underpins our work every day both in and out of the classroom.
Tolerance of those with Different Faiths and Beliefs:
Our values and respect ensures tolerance of those who have different faiths and beliefs. Oakham CofE Primary enhances children's understanding of different faiths and beliefs through collective worship, a broad curriculum offer, a clear approach to religious education; P.S.H.E. work and other curriculum enhancements. Through the termly topics children participate in celebrations such as Diwali and Chinese New Year, and enjoy a depth of study covering History and Geography topics. Through our religious education curriculum, in Key Stage Two we organise inter faith visits to places of worship of other faiths. Oakham CofE Primary School participates in a wide variety of competitive and participative sporting events across Rutland. In addition to this our children with special educational needs also participate in inclusive sporting events within our local community. We have whole school daily acts of worship where we share ideas, events, music and stories to promote the values expressed.