Vision and Values
Our vision
Our school pursues a deeply Christian and inclusive vision and mission. We believe that all members of St Stephen’s CE Primary School are born to make a difference in God's world.
This is captured by our motto (Aspire to Greatness) and is taught through our school values. Children at St Stephen's understand that living a life of 'greatness' means living a life of 'goodness' - serving others through good deeds and transforming society with love. We want children who leave St Stephen's to be passionate about serving God and transforming communities through acts of goodness.
Essentially, we want children to be ‘fired up’ about building God’s Kingdom here on Earth, enacting positive change and going one step further in the service of others.
God’s Kingdom is one of peace, love, joy, unity, equality, respect, forgiveness and compassion. It is a Kingdom where all can flourish, finding belonging, purpose and fulfilment. It is a Kingdom where we receive God’s love and the promise of ‘life in all its fullness’ through Jesus (John 10:10).
Living by our motto – Aspire to Greatness - is all about transforming society with love.
Our vision of a world transformed by a generation of young people fuels our passion for primary education.
For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
The impact of our inclusive vision was celebrated in our most recent SIAMS inspection (2020): "Highly inclusive Christian worship enables all from different faiths and none to come together as a school family. The vision, Aspire to Greatness, successfully motivates all groups of pupils to aim for increasingly higher standards. Pupils confidently explain that, as God created them, He loves us very much and, in return, we need to do good things."
Our values
Our acrostic identifies core values for our school and community. Each of these are underpinned by two Christian values and a verse from scripture, as shown below. These values are displayed on banners in the hall as well as within each class reflection area.
Achieve highly
Succeed with increasing self-belief
Persevere at all times
Include everyone and celebrate difference
Respect themselves, all others and property
Enjoy learning and feel safe in and around school
As a school community, we seek to live by our Christian values. Pupils are supported to develop their understanding of these values through collective worship, through our curriculum, through our extra-curricular provision and through our approach to supporting excellent behaviour.
If we are to be successful in our the pursuit of our ambitious vision, we need to provide a values-based education.
