Christian Values & Ethos
At St Philip’s Church of England Primary School we aim to be distinctive in our Christian character by living out our school values daily.
Collective Worship is a key part of our school day, setting the tone for the behaviour and ethos of our school family. We have strong links with our local Vicar, Rector Gareth Robinson, and St Philip's Church which we use regularly for collective worship to mark key dates in the Christian calendar.
St Philip's has 3 core Christian Values. They are; Love, Trust and Forgiveness.
At St Philip’s, we believe it is important to develop core values by which to live and help to guide us both morally and spiritually.
Through daily acts of worship and reflection we explore the meaning of these core values and consider how we can use them to help us in our daily lives.
Whilst these gifts are inclusive of human values, we try to anchor them into the Christian faith by relating them to the Bible through stories and readings.
Use the drop down menus below to find out more:
Loving
Our community is ‘Loving’.
Love is at the heart of the Christian faith and at the heart of our school. We share a love of learning, love for one another and love for the world that God made.
We believe that through a focus on love by working together as part of a strong and inclusive community, we can all achieve more – socially, emotionally and academically.
“Let all that you do be done in love.”
(1 Corinthians 16:14)
Trusting
Our community is ‘Trusting’.
Trust is essential to building positive relationships. It is rooted in truth, and will grow through consistent experiences based on honesty and integrity. Trust is a really important value. It is earned. If we do not trust someone it is very hard to build a good friendship with them. Trust is central to society and living together in harmony.
Trust is central to our community. When we work together, if we are willing to trust in others, everyone can be enriched and celebrated for their uniqueness.
“Two people are better than one .... If one person falls, the other can reach out to help."
(Ecclesiastes 4.9-10)
Forgiving
Our community is ‘Forgiving’.
Forgiveness is the means by which damaged relationships are restored.
Everyone makes mistakes, it is what makes us human. Sometimes our mistakes hurt someone else but we can also be hurt ourselves. When this happens we need to learn to forgive and to accept an apology that is really meant; without it a new start is impossible.
In our school we work together to reflect forgiveness and justice – remembering God’s unconditional love for us.
"Forgive and you will be forgiven."
(Luke 6:37)
Sparkle Group
As a multi-faith, multi-cultural school we have a variety of religions and we all share in the same values. As a school community, we uphold these values in our school; respecting each others’ faiths and beliefs. We recognise that in faith, “God is Love.” (1 John 4:8)
The sparkle group is made up of children from KS2 (Years 4, 5 & 6) and meets each week with Mrs Morris and Miss Sitiwatjana to share ideas and contribute to the ethos of our school.
The aim of the ‘Sparkle’ group is;
- To promote and uphold the Christian distinctiveness of our school.
- To evaluate and help further develop the ethos of our school by talking to children, teachers and completing learning walks.
- To help embed the Christian values across school.
- To develop and maintain links with other Christian schools.
- To plan and evaluate collective worship.