Our vision

Our vision is:

At the heart of our school vision is a desire for an authentic and life-giving relationship with ourselves, one another, our world, and with God.  We believe that it is through Christ who gives us the strength, all can achieve within a learning environment where every child is valued as a unique individual created in the image of God, and where teaching and learning is of a consistently high standard.

We could summarise our vision with the phrase:  “Every Child, Every Opportunity, Every Day.”

We aim to provide the foundation on which children can grow, enabling them to move on to the next stage of their lives, confident that, in the words of St. Paul:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13

The following values are our guiding principles:

• Friendship
• Respect
• Wisdom
• Forgiveness
• Love
• Courage

We will do everything we can to help every child understand the importance of these values through the way we behave towards them and each other. Each child’s educational, emotional and spiritual welfare is vitally important and we commit to doing our very best for every child.

Our Aims

Curriculum and Learning

• To develop creative, confident, lifelong learners
• To provide a broad based curriculum, where all children are set challenging, yet achievable, goals based on their differing needs and potential
•  To provide the best possible education for every child in a supportive environment where everyone learns and worships together

Pastoral Care

• To celebrate and nurture the whole child through a strong partnership between the school, families and the church

SMSC (Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural)

• To develop well rounded, thoughtful children who share and live by positive values

Links/Home/School and Community

• To develop a community of strong positive relationships where every voice is heard

Our Spirituality Statement

Spirituality is about reaching the very inner most being of an individual and making that part of them come alive so that they can connect with the world and those around them. Spirituality is an appreciation and cherishing of what is good, joyful, truthful and beautiful and, in relationship with others, of what is generous, creative and loving.

At St John’s Highbury Vale, we believe in providing a wide and varied range of opportunities for growth within a safe, non-judgmental, supportive environment. This is linked to the school’s Christian vision. ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’  (Philippians 4:13)

We believe that good teaching in RE should allow children to extend their own sense of values and develop their spiritual growth through their discussion, reflection upon, questioning and responses to a variety of religious ideas and concepts. Where possible, religious teaching links to our curriculum themes and values.  Children’s thoughts are recorded in RE books and floor books in Key Stage 1. This approach develops a much deeper understanding of RE – getting beyond simply learning facts to handling ideas and questions more effectively. We are linked with three churches, St Augustine’s, St Thomas The Apostle and Christ Church and attend collective worship there throughout the year.