Ethos Mission Statement and Values

Mission Statement
St. James’- where we belong, believe and achieve.

Belong- At St. James’, we are one big, happy family together with Jesus. We are a place of love and acceptance. We are proud of being an integral part of our local community and wider world. Through a range of enriching experiences and with strong values instilled, we are able to grow personally, developing a deep-rooted sense of belonging. 

Believe- Everyday, we follow in Jesus’ footsteps and have faith in God who loves us. We show this by treating everyone with warmth, love, tolerance and respect. We offer forgiveness freely and learn from our mistakes. We also believe in ourselves, allowing us to develop our God given talents.

Achieve- Through our high quality bespoke curriculum, we show perseverance, creativity, skill and resilience. We are given every opportunity to achieve our goals and meet our full potential with love, guidance and support.

Belong-

• We welcome everyone into our joyous, school family, from the local and wider community and treat each other with love, care and respect.
• We join with our local parish throughout the year, looking for ways to serve each other and understand our role in the wider world.
• We serve our community by supporting local and worldwide charities, helping to care for others in need.
• We want everyone to feel valued. Staff prioritise our health, well-being and self-care and we develop a good sense of self-esteem and self-worth.
• Our school is a safe and nurturing place, where you develop the confidence to be your own person; we embrace individuality and diversity.  
• Relationships are key. We make strong connections and friendships with each other which grow beyond the primary years; we will always belong to the loving family of St. James’
• Staff facilitate new and engaging experiences, which broaden horizons and raise aspirations.

Believe-

• We believe in Jesus who loves us and recognise we are all made in God’s image.
• Our personal relationships with God are given space to grow and develop in their own special way.
• Our relationships with others in our school family and community grow, by living out the gospel values
• Through this trust in God, and encouragement from teachers, our self-belief develops; our curiosity is nurtured which in turn helps our confidence grow.
• Enabling our children to acquire an excellent religious education through thoughtful times of prayer and liturgy, with a curriculum underpinned by our Catholic teaching.
• We give space for all to celebrate their gifts and talents, believing that together we are part of one body.
• We look to our role model Jesus and then follow his example in how we treat each other daily.

Achieve-

• We encourage and equip our children with skills to become life-long independent learners in a safe, secure and happy environment.
• As teachers and staff, we are inspirational and creative so that every child’s achievements are recognised and celebrated.
• Communication with parents is our key to success. We have an open door policy and all stakeholders are valued.
• We create space for children to ask questions and know these are valued. A space to have a go at everything and recognise there is always a chance to ‘have another go’.
• We enjoy finding the awe and wonder in new learning, broadening horizons and developing a wider understanding of the world.
• At St. James, we have fun and laughter in our learning.

   

Our School Ethos, Aims & Values
St. James’ Catholic Primary School Vision

Our curriculum stems from our Mission Statement: St. James' - where we belong, believe and achieve has been designed to reflect that life at St. James’ is rich, varied, inclusive, exciting, challenging and inspiring. We are on this journey together. Our bespoke curriculum is designed with children at the heart and promotes pupils spiritual, moral social and cultural development and provides opportunities for pupils to:

• Be happy, enthusiastic, curious and reflective learners who actively participate in lessons.
• Think critically, be creative  and develop resilience
• Celebrate cultural, ethical differences and equality from the very beginning of their journey in school.
• To become responsible, and caring citizens who appreciate diversity and make a positive contribution to our school and wider community.
• To develop their confidence and take responsibility for their learning; working independently and co-operatively with others.
• Build on their knowledge, skills and understanding in all areas to enable them to make rapid progress.

Our bespoke curriculum has been specifically designed with children at the heart.  Each subject has been planned with clear National Curriculum links using a subject based approach.  This is enhanced by: community links, educational visits, memorable learning experiences which includes: theme days, key speakers and visitors to school. We use a range of teaching strategies that take into account the ways in which children learn in order to foster engagement, motivation and creativity. Each subject has clear end points, taking into account previous learning and progression. We use a range of teaching strategies that allow for the different ways in which children learn, in order to foster engagement, motivation and creativity.

Language is a key focus for us, both to develop the children’s communication abilities, and also to provide them with the rich and specific vocabulary from across the curriculum that underpins their learning, further enhancing their subject specific knowledge and understanding.

St. James’ promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and prepares them for the opportunities and experiences of later life.  Our school facilitates foundations for life-long learning.

St. James’ Catholic Primary School Objectives

We aim:

• To be a fully inclusive school: all aspects of our work will ensure that all learners are given equality of opportunity and treated fairly.
• To promote and achieve high standards for all by providing teaching and learning of the highest quality.
• To treat learners as individuals and to differentiate teaching and learning to take account of their individual needs.
• To provide for learners’ physical, mental, social, spiritual, moral and cultural needs.
• To provide for learners’ care, health and safety.
• To ensure that all learners benefit from a rich, broad, balanced curriculum. It will be taught in an interesting, exciting and imaginative manner with lots of opportunities for first-hand experience.
• To teach basic skills and core subjects, giving great emphasis to the foundation subjects.
• To make connections between subjects and to apply basic skills across the curriculum.
• To enliven and enrich the curriculum by visits, visitors, and extensive use of the environment.
• To give responsibility to learners and develop their self-confidence by contributing to the community.
•  To make Governors, parents and the wider community equal partners with the school and to involve them in the evaluation of its success.
• To promote a welcoming and lively environment where learners feel secure.
• To build a school where good behaviour is expected.
• To make this school a place of enjoyment – a place where success is celebrated.