Vision Aims & School Ethos

Mission Statement

At St Stephen & All Martyrs’ we are all special and together we Achieve, Believe and Care for ourselves and each other; we do our best, with the love of God to guide us.

Vision Statement

Achieve_, Believe, Care underpins all that we do: it embodies making learning exciting, engaging, and relevant to children’s lives in the 21^st century. All children Achieve their full potential. We Believe our core Christian values nurture each child within our school family. We Care for ourselves and each other because we are a school community of faith.

Together these principles prepare our pupils to be lifelong learners -creating a recipe for success!

As a Christian School we would want to emphasise that God is a loving creator and that religion is an important and powerful influence within life. We serve our local community where different religions are practiced and welcome all children and we emphasise how important the spiritual dimension is for all of us in our growth towards human maturity. For a Christian Community this would manifest itself in many ways such as tolerance, caring and a willingness to understand, learn and respect each other.

Underpinning all this is our regular round of communal worship. We have a daily worship. We have Worship in Church each Wednesday for the whole school. We also celebrate the major Christian Festivals. We have special services for Harvest and Christmas.

As a school community where, Christian values are present in all aspects of our communal life, we feel it is important to point out that any parent who wished to withdraw their child from Christian influence would find this impossible at St Stephen & All Martyrs’. This is because the Christian values underpin all that we try to achieve as a community and school. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from religious and collective worship but would be required to see the Headteacher to discuss the issue.

The ethos of our school is more than a ‘hidden curriculum’. It is a combination of the worship, the taught curriculum, the extra-curricular activities and the hidden curriculum. One of the major themes of the gospel is the unique value of individual human beings and their importance in the eyes of God. Within our school is a uniquely valuable human being whom God loves. They are all entitled to the love and respect which that fact demands.

Our Aims

• To have high expectations for all pupils and providing broad and balanced learning opportunities in order for them to achieve their full personal potential by encouraging them in the various aspects of school life
• To provide a safe but stimulating learning environment that supports pupils in becoming confident, self-motivated, enquiring and innovative
• To encourage attitudes of self-respect, tolerance and responsibility so that pupils are well prepared for their future
• To develop a sense of Christian spirituality across the curriculum and through daily acts of worship
• To develop pupils’ understanding of healthy and safe lifestyles so they can make informed choices
• To help children to develop a concern for their environment and global eco issues
• To work in partnership with other schools to maximise pupils’ learning, friendships and non-academic opportunities
• To develop pupils’ global awareness and understanding of other religions and cultures
• To help pupils to understand Britain’s cultural heritage and their roles and responsibilities as good citizens
• To build effective partnership working with parents, the local church and community and all stakeholders
• To ensure effective leadership and governance

All our work is underpinned by the school’s chosen values. The pupils are encouraged to interpret these within the context of eco issues and global awareness.