Vision and Values

Our school Vision - ‘To be ‘good soil’'

Our vision is to be ‘good soil’ for the children and adults of Humshaugh C of E First School, all based on Jesus’ parable of the soils found in Matthew’s gospel which you can read below.

Jesus’ parable of the soils

‘A sower went out to sow and as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.  Other seeds fell on good soil, flourished and brought forth grain.’

Matthew 13.3-8.

This vision of being good soil for our community shapes all we do and helps us understand who we are as a school, why we are here, and then how we live. From it we draw our school values.

 

1. Who are we as a school: this is our deeply Christian vision which is firmly rooted in the bible.

The parable of the soils, sometimes known as the parable of the sower, is found in three of the New Testament gospels and in the story a farmer sows seed indiscriminately. Some seed falls on the path with no soil, some on rocky ground with little soil, and some on soil which contained thorns. In all these cases, the seed is taken away or fails to produce a crop; but when it falls on good soil it flourishes, yielding a bumper crop.

In Matthew 13 Jesus explains that the seed represents the Gospel and the various soils represent people's responses to it, the first three representing rejection while the last represents acceptance.

We have adopted this parable, and set a school vision and values around us being good soil that enables all children and adults to flourish and grow.

 

2. Why are we here: these are our values

Our values are sowing the seed well, cultivating the soil, preparing the ground and then nurturing in order to enable everyone to flourish. They’re drawn from our vision and as a whole school community we say we persevere in:

Sowing the seed well

To place Collective Worship at the centre of the school’s daily life.

To prepare children and adults for their place in society as lifelong learners and contributors.

Cultivating good soil

To provide a high quality and nurturing learning environment.

Nurturing in order to enable everyone to flourish

To be dedicated to continuous improvement, challenging ourselves, celebrating our successes and always aspiring to be “the best we can be”.

To enable each child and adult to flourish and achieve.

Producing a bumper crop

To promote our Christian ethos and values through lively, intelligent and creative participation.

To provide an inviting, inclusive school environment where all members of the school community, of all faiths or none, are valued, respected and care for one another.

To encourage and develop links between the school, home, our parishes and the local, national and global community.

To provide a high quality and nurturing learning environment.

 

3. How then do we live: all of this shapes our school life.

Daily collective worship is at the centre of school life and enables children to experience the diversity of Christian practice and tradition.

High quality, effective, academic and non-confessional religious education allows pupils and adults alike to flourish.

Throughout all our school life our Christian vision and values promote social and cultural development through the practice of forgiveness and reconciliation. They encourage good mental health and enable children and adults, whatever their background or ability, to flourish and live well together.

The vision is used to ensure our policies, curriculum and extracurricular opportunities meet the academic and spiritual needs of all learners.

We describe all our activities in terms of how the vision and values inspire our whole school community, children and adults, to engage in social action and to be courageous advocates for change in their local, national and global communities

Our Christian vision supports the character and moral development of all pupils and adults, giving them aspiration for themselves and hope for the communities of which they are a part. It fosters dignity and respect, enabling everyone to be the person God created them to be, to achieve the most they can, and to inspire hope for others in the local community and beyond.