Ethos and Values
Ethos
Our Vision and Our Mission
At St John’s Cathedral Catholic Primary School, we believe that a bright future starts with an excellent education.
Our vision is to ignite a love of learning that enables every child to achieve their very best. We aim to provide the excellent teaching and genuine nurture that will enable all of our children to be happy, resilient, creative citizens who have the skills, knowledge and passion to change the world.
Our mission at St John’s Cathedral Catholic Primary School is to educate the whole child through the Gospel values of Christ and provide academic excellence within a Catholic community, where all are loving to learn and learning to love.
The Aims of our School
In order to carry out our Mission, we believe that we should aim to:
- Provide a happy secure caring and stimulating learning environment within a welcoming Christian Community.
- Create a Catholic community, encouraging an understanding of our faith through teaching and active prayer in the home, school and parish.
- Encourage the highest standards of academic excellence and behaviour.
- Encourage children to take responsibility for themselves and become independent learners.
- Educate and celebrate the whole child as an individual, preparing them spiritually, morally, physically, socially, intellectually and emotionally for their future lives.
- Provide a firm and consistent framework of discipline and encourage children to take responsibility for themselves.
- Actively involve parents in the education of their children.
- Encourage an awareness of and a respect for other faiths.
- Provide effective liaison with the local secondary school and ensure continuity of the children’s education.
- Encourage children to do their personal best, enjoy their school experiences and build upon their successes.
Our Pupils
Our pupils are our greatest asset.
We are very proud of our children and their achievements. We help them to grow in their faith in a supportive Catholic environment, grow in knowledge and skills through high quality teaching and prepare them for transition to secondary school as confident, responsible and caring young people.
The Staff
The staff are our greatest resource
We have an experienced, talented and dedicated staff at St. John’s who work together to support the school’s Catholic ethos and ensure that each pupil reaches their full potential.
Our high expectations, consistently good teaching and excellent pastoral support are reflected in the children’s positive attitudes to learning and outstanding attendance. The combined strength of our staff ensures that the ethos and values of our mission statement are lived daily and children are provided with an ambitious and engaging curriculum.
High Standards of Pastoral Care
Our staff go the extra mile
We are proud to provide a safe, positive and caring environment for our pupils where they can achieve, feel safe and be happy. We get to know each child as an individual and have very positive relationships with parents and carers.
Pupil Behaviour and Presentation
Our children are great ambassadors for the school
We understand that this can only be achieved in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. Our success depends on the close working partnership and commitment of parents, staff, governors and the parish.
Parents are encouraged to become fully involved in the education of their child. The Home School Agreement symbolises our approach to parents and the school working together for the benefit of the child.
Our staff team works to ensure that any problems are dealt with swiftly and efficiently. All our pupils wear full school uniform, as high standards of appearance reinforce our pride in being part of the community of of St. John’s Cathedral Catholic Primary School.
Values
In order to guide our work and our personal development, there are a number of values and principles which are important to us at St John’s.
Our School Values:
- Love
- Respect
- Honesty
- Generosity
- Creativity
- Responsibility
- Justice
The values of the British Society in which we live:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect and Tolerance
Examples of the actions we take to promote British values include:
Democracy:
Having an elected School Council
Highlighting the importance of democratic ideas in history lessons
Ensuring all pupils are listened to by adults
Visiting the Houses of Parliament
Visiting the Lord Mayor’s Parlour
The Rule of Law:
Creating “class rules”
Having a clear behaviour policy that is explained to all
Using our RE teaching to explore the rules of the Church and rules for the people of God such as the 10 commandments and the Precepts of the Church
Using the history and PHSE curriculum to teach about the development of the Rule of Law in English law, a legal system inspired by Christian values and a major influence across the world
Individual Liberty:
Encouraging children to be independent in their learning
Providing children with opportunities for reflection as they take responsibility for discerning their vocation
Mutual Respect and Tolerance
Having a Mission Statement that is inclusive
Constantly promoting respect for others
Encouraging good manners
Reinforcing the value of everyone’s opinion in class discussions
Having an effective behaviour policy
Emphasising in RE and PSHE lessons that every person is unique and created in the image of God
Having active links with other schools
Supporting charitable works
Providing pupils with a deep understanding of their own faith as well as an awareness of the faith and tradition of other religious communities as a basis for understanding and respect