Headteacher: Mrs C. Green Chair of Governors: Mrs S. Cook
WELCOME TO ALL SAINTS ACADEMY
At All Saints Academy, our Christian vision is rooted in the Parable of the Sower (Mark, Chapter 4, Verses 3-8). Our Christian vision runs through the heart of our school and drives the decisions we make.
The Parable of the Sower tells of a farmer who went out to scatter seeds but had varying success due to the different places where the seeds fell. The seeds that ultimately flourished landed on the good soil.
At All Saints Academy, it is our vision to provide the ‘good soil’ for every member of our community to develop deep roots and flourish as a unique individual and achieve their full potential. With the highest of expectations, we nurture and develop each individual so that they can explore who they are and make a positive contribution to our local community and the wider world.
A loving place where we all care, learn and grow together.
In the right soil, every single seed can grow and achieve its God given potential.
We have highlighted six key virtues that are the makings of a member of the All Saints Academy community and therefore informing the “good soil” we tend to ensure their growth.
Respect
“Show respect to everyone” 1 Peter 2:17
In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus crossed boundaries between people in showing respect and love for all (Luke 10:29-37). We nurture attitudes of recognition and appreciation towards the differences of other people. To this end, we create a school environment that ensures all members of the school community know they are valued and appreciated. Beyond the immediate context, we seek to broaden children’s understanding and appreciation of the wider world and the different communities within it.
Kindness
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” Ephesians 4:32
The grace that we receive from God is the basis for our kindness and care towards one another. We teach our children to be friendly, generous, compassionate and considerate, applying that grace in school life and remembering Jesus’ teaching to “Do for others what you want them to do for you” (Matthew 7:12a). This is reflected in the daily life of the school through a wide range of policies such as our behaviour policy, anti-bullying policy, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities policy and RSE/PSHE policy.
Perseverance
“Hope in God’s future for the world, in God’s ongoing love and compassion for all people, and for the whole of creation, and in God’s promise of life in all its fullness are at the root of our dedication to educating for hope and aspiration.” (Church of England Vision for Education p. 10).
We want all members of our school community to always keep trying to achieve something, despite difficulties. James writes, “Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” James 1:12. From the time of the writing of the letter of James, to our own context there have been various reasons for the need of encouragement to persevere when life is challenging. We see perseverance as innately connected to hope: we will persevere when we catch a glimpse of the hope that makes it worthwhile.
To this end we ensure a motivating curriculum which meets the needs of all learners, in a stimulating learning environment. We also develop our children as independent, resilient learners with an appreciation of the value of hard work and challenge.
Honesty
The Church of England Vision for Education states that “Education needs to have a core focus on relationships and commitments, participation in communities and institutions, and the qualities of character that enable people to flourish together.”In line with this, our school promotes positive behaviour through developing our children’s independence in making the right choices. In our context, we highlight one important aspect of this - telling the truth. Proverbs teaches “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy” (Proverbs 12:22). We seek to steer children to have honest and truthful characters that will maintain integrity in themselves and towards one another throughout their lives.
Courage
“Be strong and courageous for the Lord your God is with you, wherever you go” Joshua 1:9.
In our context we recognise the need to ensure our staff and children believe in their own ability and have high aspirations for themselves and each other. We therefore encourage the virtue of courage, urging children to “do something that may frighten you”. To this end we provide the safe, nurturing seed-bed for courage, providing a wide range of opportunities for children to develop new talents, interests and skills.
Empathy
We want our children to understand the feelings of another and show compassion towards them, to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15).
We model this across the staff team and also promote the development of social skills which will support the building of positive relationships. A vital component of this is also the giving of a voice to our children, in their learning and across the school, promoting a sense of belonging and community.