Vision and Values

BUILDING FOUNDATIONS FOR A LOVE OF LIFE, A LOVE OF LEARNING AND A LOVE OF ONE ANOTHER

The Ethos of Heartwood Federation is:

To enable pupils, students, staff and families to flourish in their education, work, and wider lives; that is, to experience ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). We will build strong foundations for a love of life, a love of learning, and a love of one another. Guided by the values of love, respect, perseverance, and truthfulness, we nurture a culture where all are accepted, valued, and connected—rising together as a community bonded to one another and our environment. Together, we place children at the heart; nurturing love, respect, and life-long learning.

Vision

Key words and phrases above, are particularly pertinant to us at Upton St Leonards and we therefore live out our Federation Ethos Statement, through our unique, deeply-rooted, Christian Vision:

This important vision guides our policies, procedures, day-to-day decision making, and design of our curriculum: 

Building foundations for a love of life, a love of learning and a love of one another.

The pattern of 3 in the wording of our vision links with the idea that God is represented through the Holy Trinity (God, Father, Holy Spirit). 

‘Building foundations’ – building firm foundations for our pupils ensuring they are prepared for their next stage of education and life - lived out through our core value of perseverance (The Parable of the Two Builders) where one builder persevered and built his house on a hill, which was a firm foundation to enable the build to ‘rise up’ above the water.

‘for a love of life’ - John 10:10 reflects ‘flourishing’ as living life in all its fulness; it also reflects the Church of England vision. In our view, we flourish because of our diversity and relationships and therefore prioritise respecting one another.

‘a love of learning’– our core purpose. Church schools were originally founded for two core purposes, one being to give poor an opportunity to access learning and academic excellence. The other elements link in as if children aren’t loved, don’t their basic needs met, they can’t learn.

‘and a love of one another’  – underpinning the Christian worldview, that God is love, everyone (our children, our staff, our community) were created intentionally by love for love and that we should ‘love one another as I have loved you.’ This is also articulated through our key Bible Story – The Good Samaritan which explains that people should love everybody and do so authentically and truthfully.

Values

Our vision however, is lived out through four core values which have biblical underpinning (verse or linked bible story):

Love: The Kind Stranger, Luke 10 (The Good Samaritan)

Perseverance: The Two Houses (The Parable of the Two Builders)

Truthfulness:

Respect:  

Values are taught and modelled - everyone is encouraged to 'live our values everyday'. Learning environments and curriculum create opportunities to to develop spiritually or to find an individual path to experience the love of God.

Our School Prayer says:

This is our school.

Let peace dwell here.

Let the rooms be full of contentment.

Let love abide here:

Love of one another;

Love of mankind,

Love of life itself

And love of God.