‘Life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10), which focuses on educating the whole child, underpins our school vision. At South Bersted Church of Primary School, we aim to achieve the highest possible standards for all learners.

Vision

Effective teaching and a creative, child centered curriculum, together with an emphasis on Christian values and beliefs, enables all learners to recognise and achieve high standards. Pupils are encouraged to embrace challenges and become lifelong learners in a safe, secure and nurturing environment. We are committed to enriching pupils’ moral and spiritual development inspiring all to become caring, responsible 21st century global citizens.

The School’s Values:

The school’s values, which were selected by the school community, are distinctly Christian and drive the school’s vision. A value is defined as ‘a principle that guides our thinking and behaviour,’ therefore at South Bersted Church of England Primary School we want to know the impact that our daily Collective Worships and values have on our pupils. At the end of each half term, pupils are encouraged to use the ‘head, heart and feet’ approach to reflect on the impact of the value.

Below you can view the pupil evaluations for Creation, Justice, Koinonia, Friendship and Endurance:

Koinonia:

But God has combined the members of the body ….so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it (1 Corinthians 12:24-26)

In Christian teaching, Koinonia describes how Christians come together as a family. The members of our school family are interdependent: all are needed and valued and each person is important to the whole. We are working together to ensure all feel included and valued.

Through Christ we all share fellowship with one another as one big family. Koinonia comes from the Greek word meaning community or fellowship. This shows the special relationship we have with each other where as a community we look after each other, where we are welcomed and accepted, no matter who we are. Together we can grow in our relationship with one another and with God. We come together with Christ at the centre of our school.

Our whole school House System is underpinned by Koinonia. Each child comes together to create their team and each team comes together to create the school. Each of the house form an individual puzzle piece. When all pieces are together the school is complete.

Our value of Koinonia is underpinned by the following biblical quote: ‘Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one.’ 1 Corinthians 12 v 12 -31

How do we display this value?

Friendship:

Trust, feeling comfortable in each other’s company, being able to share joys and sorrows are all features of friendship and these are things of immense value. True friendship enables each person to grow and ensures that the unique individuality of each person is recognised.

Our value of friendship is underpinned by the following biblical quote: ‘If one falls down, a friend can lift him up,’ (Ecclesiastes 4:10). As a school we promote that fact that the only time we should ever look down on someone is when we are helping them up.

Each year, we turn our focus to Friendship during the second half of the Autumn Term. Key events in this term including Anti Bullying Week and Armistice Day.

A key aspect of friendship is not only considering what you look for in a friend, but the type of friend you want to be. At South Bersted Church of England Primary School, we want all pupils to recognise their gifts and talents as a friend.

In addition to this, in our library we have a forgiveness well. The purpose of the well, is for pupils to consider the importance of forgiveness and saying sorry in repairing a friendship.

How do we display this value?

Friendship Behaviours

Hope:

The beginning of John’s Gospel says ‘The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.’ Throughout his life Jesus gave hope to others and the resurrection of Jesus shows us that evil can never ultimately triumph over love.

Hope is a universal human phenomenon. People hope for peace in time of war; food in time of famine; justice in time of oppression. Where hope is lost there is despair and disintegration. Hope generates energy and sustains people through difficult times.

‘May the God of Hope fill you with all the joy and peace and trust in him so that you overflow with hope by the Power of the Holy Spirit.’ Romans 15:13.

As part of the school’s vision, we want pupils to know that they can made a positive difference to others. Pupils learn that hope is far more than crossing our fingers, but it is about taking positive action.

How do we display this value?

Hope Behaviours

Endurance:

At its root, endurance is recognition that life is sometimes difficult and painful, and that it is important not to give up in the face of adversity.

Jesus endured rejection, abuse and the cross, and his followers are warned that they may well have to share that pain as persecution took hold. Discipleship is depicted as ‘taking up the cross daily’ and following in Jesus’ footsteps (Luke 9:23).

Endurance and perseverance are only possible where there is hope and that hope is based on the enduring nature of God’s love and faithfulness.

Each year, we focus on Endurance as we learn of the challenges Jesus faced in the wilderness as he began his ministry.

At South Bersted Church of England Primary School, we recognise when children and adults have overcome challenges and endured. To support endurance, competition is encouraged through PE where at the end of each unit, pupils compete to earn Dojos for their house. In addition to this, the school promotes a growth mindset for all pupils and adults, which is underpinned through our ‘marking and feedback’ policy.

Our value of friendship is underpinned by the following biblical quote, ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ (Galatians 6:9)

How do we display this value?

Reverence:

Reverence is the proper human response to what is holy and sacred. It is related to awe and respect. It is this profound respect that is expressed in the Biblical phrase ‘the fear of the Lord’. This is not fear in the sense of terror or abject groveling but a reverent acknowledgment of God’s greatness and our complete dependence. Such reverence is the proper response to the mystery of life and death, or to the created world in which we live.

This profound respect for God is the spring from which true worship flows. Although only God is truly worthy of reverence and worship, the Bible also contains the related concept of ‘honouring’. We are asked to honour one another and one of the ten commandments instructs us to honour our father and mother.

At South Bersted Church of England Primary School, we want to develop well rounded pupils that respect themselves and others. By putting the needs of other first, pupils will deepen their understanding of service and the needs of others.

Our value of reverence is underpinned by the following biblical quote, ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’ (Luke 6:31)

Justice:

When thinking about ‘justice’, some people think first about giving wrongdoers the punishment they deserve. ‘Justice’ evokes ideas of ‘just deserts’, ’the punishment fitting the crime’, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’.

However, justice also means giving all people – particularly the poor and oppressed – what it is right and fair for them to have: life, health, freedom and dignity. It is about acting out of a concern for what is right and seeing right prevail. It is about social justice, especially for those who suffer most and are least able to protect themselves.

Throughout the Bible, it is emphasised that justice is immensely important to God. It is fundamental to God’s character. ‘For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.’ (Psalm 11:7)

Justice is not about a culture which encourages everyone to insist on their own rights at the expense of others. It is about a community that knows that everyone’s well-being is bound up with that of everyone else. A commitment to justice leads to fierce opposition to injustice in whatever form it may be found. At South Bersted Church of England Primary School, we want to inspire our pupils to becoming caring and responsible 21st century global citizens. A key behaviour to achieving this is standing up where adults and children see injustice within our locality, nationally and internationally.

A key aspect of justice at South Bersted Church of England Primary School, is deepening our understanding of the importance of rules and laws.

Justice is a prerequisite of peace: without justice there can be no peace.

How do we display this value?

To measure the impact of our values, at the end of each half term, our pupils complete a whole class reflection sheet focused on head, heart and feet.

What has the value made you think about?
What has the value made you feel?
What will you change based on what you have learnt about this value?

Further explanation of Christian values can be obtained from: http://christianvaluesforschools.com

Justice Evaluation 2022-2023

Koinonia Evaluation 2022-2023

Reverence Evaluation 2022-2023

Theology 2022-2023