At the heart of our mission statement lies our firm belief that God welcomes us into relationship with Himself and subsequently desires that we value and respect our fellow human beings. Our school Core Values underpin all our relationships both within the school community and as we look outwards to others.

Discussions with students, staff and governors have led us to identify 4 Core Values to which we are committed as a school.

Empathy 

‘A willingness and desire to understand and identify with the feelings and thoughts of others.’
We believe this is a critical feature of a strong and healthy community.
There are many places in the Bible where it talks of God understanding us… perhaps the greatest way in which God shows he understands us is through the Incarnation.
‘God became flesh and lived among us as Jesus… Therefore, we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. [John 1:14 + Hebrews 4:15]
If God understands us, then we have a responsibility to try and understand others.

 

Respect

Throughout the Bible we are told that God should be honoured and respected. As a consequence, humans being created in God’s image, should also be respected. Jesus gives the commandments:
‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you…. Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God…. [Matthew 7:12 + 1 Corinthians 6:19]
All members of our community desire to be respected and also recognise that others should be treated with respect.

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Responsibility

“Jesus gives each one of us a kingdom (power and responsibility) just as the Father gave Him a kingdom, so use your power and take responsibility to provoke one another to love and good deeds.” [Luke 22:29 + Hebrews 10:24]
It is important that ALL of us take responsibility for our behaviour and actions. In encouraging students to take personal responsibility we work together to build a positive and caring community.
There is another value which the following quotation from Alexander Pope highlights:
‘To ERR is human; to forgive, divine’
 

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the tough option if it is real! The forgiver has to be willing to face the person again and the forgiven has to be serious about changing! It is a choice. Throughout the Bible God forgives his people and ultimately Jesus pays for our forgiveness.
Forgiveness is key to us growing as people and understanding not only how to build strong relationships but also how to learn from the difficult times. Jesus himself taught us to forgive not only by what he said, but also through his example of forgiving those who crucified him.