Our Christian Values

Our Christian values provide the grounding on which we base our lives at school. They help us to live out our Federation vision of ‘life in all its fullness’. Our values were identified through discussions with our staff and children on their learning of our school stories; The Parable of the Sower, The Loaves and Fishes and The Lost Sheep. All members of our school community felt that these values were a true representation of all life as created by God and the grace that flows abundantly from Him. Being respectful, compassionate and have perseverance are not only marks of a believer, but they set Christians apart from others.

Each value provides the focus for each term through explicit teaching within Collective Worship but also through curriculum time. Children have regular opportunities to reflect on what these value looks like in school, at home and within our community. The children look forward to their Christian value achievements being celebrated through our Christian Value award presented in Celebration Worship.

Our vicar visits our children on a weekly basis and leads our Collective Worship where these values are also reinforced through stories from the Bible as well as readings, prayer and song.

Our selected parables, used by Jesus to teach his followers how to live ‘Life in all its fullness’, provide the grounding on which we base our lives at school. They help us to live out our school values of respect, compassion and perseverance. We identified these Christian Values based on our children’s voices and how our school is recognised within our community; as nurturing and inclusive. This is how our children see themselves within this school and its place within the Bridgnorth community. The three values fully encompass how we as a school, embrace our Christian identity and how our families and pupils live this every day. Our community school provides the nurturing and inclusive environment for our children to flourish. Together, we can embody and live out the teachings of Jesus to ensure our children and families thrive through respect, compassion and perseverance.

Our Christian values have created a golden thread which is reinforced within our curriculum, teaching and learning policies and involve all staff and pupils. We are proud to share our vision and values to our parents and community through our website and newsletters, and recognition through our weekly celebration assemblies, where both academic achievement and the upholding of our core Christian values are equally rejoiced.

 The worship team, along with visitors, staff members, Head of School and pupils lead Collective Worship where these key values as well as other life values are reinforced  through Bible readings, stories, drama, prayer and song. Children have regular opportunities to reflect on what our values look like at school, home and in both our smaller and wider communities. Additionally, St. Mary’s benefits from close links with the volunteer worship group, ‘Open The Book’.  Our children experience Bible stories through collaborative, dramatised worship, ensuring they are engaged and enthused to hear the word of God.

"Do to others as you would have them do to you." - Luke 6:31 (NIV)

Often referred to as the ‘Golden Rule’, our core value of respect is exemplified through the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4 1-9).

Jesus tells us in this story of the seeds that were sown on the infertile ground. With nothing to sustain them the seeds withered and died. However, the seeds that were sown in the fertile ground, full of food and goodness, grew to be strong, sturdy and robust. Jesus tells us we have to nurture our young and it is our communal responsibility to provide them with whatever they need to flourish. At St Mary’s every child is cherished in an environment where they are given the opportunity to reach their full potential. Additionally, the parable exemplifies the importance of fostering a ‘good heart’ that can nurture and nourish the word of God and the values of respect required to live communally.

Respect forms the foundations of our daily life; respect for all roles within our school community; respect for their peers; respect for their school environment and resources; and respect for themselves. Respect is in all our interactions which infiltrates the wider community, ensuring positive outcomes for all. We can grow and learn because we know that the principle of the ‘Golden Rule’ protects all; valuing every individual and safeguarding their well-being throughout life’s journey. We develop our value of respect through hearing how Jesus taught us to have ‘a good heart’ which gladly receives the Word of God.  Through modelling positive interactions, we ‘infect’ our children with intrinsic respect and empathy for others. Staff at St. Mary’s live out the value of respect through all our relationships, creating the nurturing environment St. Mary’s is renowned for locally.  Our Behaviour Regulation Policy is rooted in the principle of respect through empathy and valuing others, seeing that ‘all behaviour is a form of communication.’

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." - Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

Our second core Christian value of compassion highlights the importance of showing kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, reflecting the compassion that God shows to us.  The bible tells of the time that Jesus fed a whole crowd of people with just two fishes and five loaves. Jesus is showing us there is enough for everyone if we trust God. What we gather in, grows and nourishes our community. At St Mary’s everyone will thrive if each person plays their part. Compassion is a profound emotional response where an individual recognises the suffering of others and feels a strong desire to alleviate that suffering. It involves empathy, which is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another and extends beyond just feeling concern to taking action to help. Compassion encompasses elements such as:

Awareness: Recognising when someone is in pain or facing difficulties.

Understanding: Empathising with their situation and feelings.

Desire to Help: Feeling a strong urge to alleviate their suffering.

Action: Taking concrete steps to provide comfort or assistance.

Compassion is a key element in the Parable of the Sower, advocating for kindness, mercy, and support towards others in need.  Indeed, it is notable that Jesus valued the contribution of one small child to enable the miracle to happen.  Similarly, at St. Mary’s we value the need to be compassionate to all, valuing the impact of all participation. 

 “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we do not give up.” - Galatians 6:9

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Jesus frequently encouraged his disciples to ‘endure patiently’ the difficulties and obstacles they encountered and to persevere in the face of adversity. He himself trusted in God even when his enemies tried to stop his work and plotted his death.

Our lives can be full of difficulties, and we recognise this could be on many levels, including mastering a new skill, practising a new game but also in terms of our own and others mental health and well-being. We look to the stories Jesus told about overcoming hardship in order to have the courage to overcome our own. We nurture our children and staff to ensure that challenges are not faced alone and that mistakes are part of our journey through our growth mindset teaching that runs throughout all areas of the curriculum.

Jesus tells the story of the shepherd who cared for one hundred sheep. But when one sheep was lost, the shepherd left the ninety-nine sheep to search for the lost sheep. He did not rest until it was found. Jesus taught us that everyone is special-even if they lose their way they will always be cared for and welcomed back into the fold. Each member of the St Mary’s community is equal, important and valued.

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