St Mark's C of E Primary School
Loving, growing and succeeding together
Vision
CHRISTIAN VISION STATEMENT:
"Our Christian vision is Loving, Growing and Succeeding Together. We put our hope in God, where every day counts and seeds are sown in fertile soil. We lay up a foundation for the future so we can enjoy life which is life indeed. This we do together, with love"
VISION & THEOLOGY:
The school vision is rooted in Theology. Loving, Growing and Succeeding Together are four parts of the same vision, each with their own Biblical reference; these are reflected and referenced within the main vision statement. The theological links are:
| LOVING | 1 Timothy 6:17 Put their hope in God, who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy. |
| GROWING | Ezekiel 17:4-6 Then he took of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil. |
| SUCCEEDING | 1 Timothy 6:17-19 “They are to do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous, thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed.” |
| TOGETHER | John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” |
OUR CHRISTIAN VISION EXPLAINED:
The Vision for St Mark's C of E Primary School has been created as a school community for our school community. It is underpinned by our strong Christian Values:
- Courage
- Respect
- Friendship
- Perseverance
- Honesty
- Trust
The Christian Vision, Strapline and Vision Explanation can be found in the document below. Simply, it reflects our direction of travel; the point on the horizon that we strive towards:
LIVING OUT OUR VISION:
Loving, Growing and Succeeding Together is woven into everything we do every day; it is the fabric of the school. It drives the work of staff and is seen in the relationships between parents, adults and children. Relationships and meaningful interactions allow us to forge connections as individuals and as a Christian Community.
If you would like to see Loving, Growing and Succeeding Together in action, we believe that the best way to do this is to visit the school; please feel free to contact us for a tour. The photographs below give a small sample of how our vision shapes our school life. Ultimately, it is imbued in us all.
VISION IN ACTION & COURAGEOUS ADVOCACY:
The school has a clear belief as to what Courageous Advocacy is for St Mark's and the community of Pensnett. We look beyond the cake sale and ensure that any charitable donations are sensitively handled. This is part of our poverty proofing work and ensuring that we continue to reduce the cost of the school day. Whilst we acknowledge Red Nose Day, Children in Need etc., we do so in a way that educates children around the morale imperative behind those days and what that means for them and the wider community. Some examples for the coming year are detailed here.
However, as a Church School, we know that advocacy is much more than this. We identify three clear sections:
1. Is the action inextricably linked to our Christian Vision - Loving, Growing and Succeeding Together?
2. Are children equipped with the curriculum and extra-curricular knowledge and understanding to enact Social Action?
3. Does the action challenge injustice and inequality?
The school uses the curriculum to teach children content that allows them to reflect upon injustice and inequality; this ranges from Mary Macarthur and Windrush in History through to studying healthy relationships in PSHE.
Through Worship, we have reflected upon our Vision and stories from the Bible (The Parable of the Two Sons and The Good Samaritan, for example) as to how we can 'be good in both word and deed', reflecting the Prayer of St Mark. We have tried to understand why we have had problems with fruit, bread and milk being stolen from the school grounds:
This has served as a catalyst to identify social injustice and inequity in our community. The children have identified these as being:
- Litter
- Poverty & Food Banks
- Cyber Bullying
- Loneliness
- Anti-Social Behaviours
- Homelessness
SOCIAL INJUSTICE & INEQUALITY WITHIN THE CURRICULUM
As both the curriculum and the use of Worship continues to educate children about injustice and inequality, they will begin to undertake Social Action. This is a main focus for the coming academic year and is part of our Whole School Priorities. Recently, we Showed Racism the Red Card, building on our work in PSHE and History. The children were able to talk confidently, courageously and maturely about a difficult topic. We also used Children In Need to look at how the money is used to support charities in Dudley, such as The What? Centre and Loaves N Fishes.
Courageous Advocacy is about developing active citizens who are morally compelled to challenge injustice and inequity so they may live out our Christian Values, thus ensuring that our community loves, grows and succeeds together.