At Sproatley, we aim to develop each child fully - socially, physically, intellectually, morally and spiritually. We aim to do this by fostering a caring inclusive community based on clear Christian values, in keeping with our status as a Church of England School, which encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith, which recognises and respects the beliefs and religions of others.
Our Core Christian Values
In July 2015 we held a school wide vote to determine the three core Christian values that would be at the heart of our school. Everyone who makes up the school community took part in the vote - the children, the staff, the governors, the parents and the carers. The results of the vote showed that friendship, compassion and trust would be the values running through the core of our school ethos. As the school continued to evolve, we added respect as a fourth core value during an annual review of the school.
The children voted for friendship as their key value, it won by quite a majority and it is heartening for this to be the Children’s choice. School makes up such a large proportion of a child’s life and friendships formed in school days can often last a lifetime, so it is wonderful to see that the children prioritise friendship as their most important value and it is good to know that Sproatley School is one where the children will reach out the hand of friendship to others.
In a judgemental and at times selfish world, compassion is not an easy value to teach. Some children have natural and innate compassion for others that is evident from an early age; they’ll help others when they fall & they won’t find humour in another’s misfortune, whereas there are many adults out there for whom compassion is a struggle. Compassion sometimes does take a lot of teaching, but it is worth persevering with, as it should be at the heart of any school; a school should be a place where everyone is safe, accepted, celebrated for their individuality and supported as equals, compassion will help us to achieve this.
Trust is the very essence of faith and lies at the heart of all relationships, yet it is a very fragile value that can be easily damaged. Trust is something that we are keen to build and in some cases re-build with our Parents and with our close Sproatley community. Trust is key to the success of a school; all stakeholders (Children, Parents, Carers, Staff & Governors) need trust in one another in order to really move a school forward.
The value of respect was added after an annual review of the values at the heart of our school. The Bible teaches us to respect differences in our world through stories like The Good Samaritan and Zacchaeus the Tax Collector. We use these stories to think carefully about how we treat others. At Sproatley, we encourage everyone, "to treat others as you would want them to treat you." (Matthew 7:12) Respect can mean simply treating each other with politeness and courtesy, and recognising that everyone's contribution is important and that everyone's feelings should be considered. We regularly discuss how respecting someone does not mean that we always agree with the other person but that we are prepared to listen and share our views without rudeness or impatience.
BBC News – Education
- Rise in home-schooling in West of EnglandParents say teaching their children at home rather than in school better suits their needs.
- Helping South Asian lone parents combat lonelinessSouth Asian single parents across London join together to help battle the stigma they feel.
