Christian Vision and Values
Our Christian vision is to develop young people with active and creative minds. Within the context of our Christian and civic foundations we aim to foster a sense of understanding and compassion for others, and the courage to act on our beliefs.
Within a caring, respectful, inclusive community, we cultivate a desire to learn, take risks and accept challenges. We want our students to be resilient and adaptable, equipped with the knowledge, skills and curiosity to continue their education and become fulfilled, confident, socially responsible adults.
Our Vision and Values are rooted in our Christian foundations and follow that of the Church of England.
We CARE
We INSPIRE
We SUCCEED
Our Vision is rooted in the narrative of the martyr St Laurence, who when ordered by the prefect of Rome to bring the treasures of the Church, responded by saying “people are the Church’s treasure”. In Matthew 6.21, we read: “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. At St Laurence you will find a school whose vision and practice is influenced by the belief that people are our treasure, as a gift from God, and are far more important than narrow definitions of educational excellence. In our practice you will see where our heart is.
Curriculum
The RE department takes a lead in providing concepts, ideas and discussions around spirituality, religion and belief but all curriculum departments, as well as our associate staff teams, have developed mission statements which show how our Christian vision and values inform their approach. We were delighted that our SIAMS inspection confirmed a whole community approach to this.
Spiritual attributes that we aim to foster:
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The ability to rest, be still and have an authentic sense of who we are;
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The capacity to go deeper, to reflect, to connect with questions regarding life and death, purpose, beauty and creativity;
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A readiness to explore the numinous or feel a connection with the Divine.
These may be built upon through developing the following skills:
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A capacity to be flexible and adapt to change
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A high degree of self-awareness which leads to self-acceptance
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A capacity to face suffering and learn from it
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A capacity to deal with painful situations
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A quality of being inspired by vision and values
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A commitment to avoid causing harm
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An ability to see connections between things
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A tendency to ask why and what if questions
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A capacity for unconditional love
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An ability to see beyond the here and now
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A passion to create and share meaning
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A capacity for awe and wonder
Connections with Churches in
Bradford on Avon
United Church
Bearfield Church
Quakers
St Thomas Moore
RC Church
Baptist Church
Holy Trinity
Church
Collective Worship
Collective worship is valued as the heartbeat of our school and provides an opportunity for us to be regularly grounded as a community in the Christian values we hold as a Church of England school. It flows from our commitment to regard “people as our treasure”. The school Bidding Prayer sums up our intent for collective worship:
God, please help us, whether we have faith or no faith, to
· Be still in our busy days
· Connect with our school’s Christian vision and values
· Consider how our termly themes affect our lives, our relationships, our community, our world
· Take an opportunity for prayer or reflection
House Collective Worship:
On one day each week, one of our five Houses participates in a collective worship event in the magnificent setting of the Wiltshire Music Centre auditorium. This is much more than a traditional “school assembly” – it is an expression of our Christian vision and is an act of worship; an inclusive activity which provides an invitation for students and adults to celebrate and connect. Our students set the termly themes via the school council.
‘Students call staff to action’
SIAMS MArch 2022
Breathing Time in Tutor Groups:
Students also meet in their tutor groups each morning at 8.35am. At 9am, tutor groups fall silent as the term’s Sending Prayer is read and tutors invite students to pray or reflect. Students then briefly discuss their responses and these are recorded in a Reflection Book. Towards the end of each term, the tutor group brings their reflections together in a variety of ways, with a focus on how the term’s collective worship theme has impacted on them and, perhaps, enabled them to flourish as individuals or a group and make positive changes.
House Briefing:
Each House gathers once a week for a Briefing with presentations from students and staff on a wide variety of topics, including wellbeing, safeguarding and environmental issues. However, Briefing always culminates in a collective worship period, when students are invited to pause and pray or reflect on the term’s Sending Prayer.
Chaplain:
This year, the school has now recruited a Chaplain to work with both students and staff, building on the work we have already done with Wiltshire Youth for Christ. To contact Dan, our Chaplain, email him at chaplaincy@st-laurence.com