Vision – ‘Care, Grow and Flourish in God’s Loving Hands.’

The theological underpinning of our school vision is the Parable of the Mustard Seed—Matthew 13:31-32
Jesus told them another parable: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like this. A man takes a mustard seed and sows it in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up, it is the biggest of all plants. It becomes a tree, so that birds come and make their nests in its branches.

Rooted in God’s love, our nurturing ethos enables all members of our school community to thrive and flourish. We tend to the academic, social, moral, physical and spiritual needs of our school family so that we grow into confident, respectful, aspirational and active citizens of our ever-changing modern world. We do all of this in God’s trusted and loving hands.

Here is how our work and commitment at St. Mary’s School is demonstrated through the parable:

The Kingdom of Heaven is like this.
The ethos of our school is inspired and empowered by the life and teaching of Jesus to encourage others to live flourishing lives today. Children and adults are invited to allow the light of Christ to shine in their hearts through their words and actions in the world. At the core of our ethos is flourishing relationships at all levels. St. Mary’s School is an inclusive space where everyone is welcome, and where all people can grow and thrive holistically.

A man takes a mustard seed and sows it in his field.
With our caring and nurturing ethos firmly embedded in all that we do, every member who joins our school whether child or adult, like the small mustard seed, is tended to so that they grow and flourish in its broadest sense—academically, socially, morally, physically and spiritually.

It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is the biggest of all plants.
The ethos of the school and the actions of the school community enable children and adults to grow in confidence, to develop a wide range of skills, knowledge and understanding and to be aware of their own and others’ needs, which prepares them for and interests them in the modern world.

It becomes a tree, so that birds come and make their nests in its branches.
Through their thorough and rich grounding, our children are equipped to be respectful citizens and make valuable contributions to the communities they will serve in the future. Children are encouraged to look beyond themselves and recognise that by showing care for others, they can provide support and love to enable them to grow and flourish too.

Whilst we have chosen the Parable of the Mustard Seed to underpin the work we do here at St. Mary’s, there are aspects of the life and teaching of Jesus which constellate around this parable which purposefully inform it.

And just like the words in a stick of rock, our vision permeates all that we do at school.

Mission (what we will do)

• We will recognise every child as precious and unique
• We will ‘live’ Christian values in our daily lives within a caring Christian environment
• We will enable every child to make the very best progress and growth through excellent teaching and we will deliver an inspirational curriculum to encourage them to flourish.
• We will work in partnership with children and families to promote growth, confidence and self esteem
• We will prepare children to confidently face the challenges of growing up in the 21st Century
• We will provide children with an understanding of local, national and global communities and faiths.
• With St Mary’s Church, Brookside Methodist, and other local churches, we will further develop understanding of Christian values in action through worship.

How do children and staff ‘live’ the school vision?

ALL children are afforded the opportunity to succeed in their time at St. Mary’s. We invest time, care and love to understand who every child is as an individual and as such, find ways for them to grow, flourish and shine!

Children are regularly inspired by the words of our vision and this shows in different ways. Many pupils draw and embellish the words of our vision in their free time, some are inspired to write poems and some have even written and performed a song, weaving the words of our vision into a familiar tune!

Click to view a beautiful poem here.

Listen below to hear a pupil led choir singing a self composed song inspired by our school vision!

What do staff say about their experience of our school vision?

Adults genuinely care about each other and the children. We support each other through the fun and happy moments but more importantly through the tough times. This starts at the top and permeates down to everything that happens in our lovely school. I believe it is so important that the children see this real care and respect for each other in action. We are their role models. This is why the children show kindness and care for others. This helps all of us to grow and flourish.

St Mary’s is everything the school vision is. There is so much warmth; it’s a safe space for children to blossom and equally for adults it’s a positive environment to become the best version of themselves. The children are fortunate to be looked after by such caring and warm staff. Everyone cares!!

What do parents and carers say about their children’s experience of our school vision?

My child’s confidence has grown significantly since she started attending St. Mary’s. The warm and welcoming staff have played a huge role in encouraging her, making her feel supported and valued. She enjoys her time at school and is thriving in the nurturing environment. The vision statement truly reflects the school’s ethos, and we appreciate the care and encouragement given to each child.

My children not only remember the school’s vision, but they frequently say it to each other at home (I think my 4-year olds [not in school yet] already know it by now…), they write it, they draw it. It is powerful and beautiful and heart-warming at the same time. I want this to stay with my children for life.

You can find out a little more about the impact of our school’s vision by looking at more parent survey responses here.