To help us to remember our values we use the acronym AWE which also reminds us to look for the awe and wonder in God's world. 

"Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!"

Psalm 66: 5

 

How We Developed Our Vision and Values

Back in September 2019, we began reflecting on our school vision and values to make sure they truly matched the needs of our community. Our old vision contained thirteen values — meaningful, but tricky for children (and adults!) to remember. 

So, we set out to simplify. Pupils met in their house groups with staff to discuss which values they remembered and what they thought our school was aiming for. Each house created its own vision, which was then shared with the wider community — including parents, governors, and the church.

Children suggested the values they felt mattered most. These were counted up in houses, shared across the school, and voted on. Three clear winners emerged:

Aspiration, Wisdom, and Endurance.

Our Vision

At St Margaret’s Church of England Primary School we seek to develop wisdom, encourage aspiration and promote dignity and acceptance enabling our respectful children to live a life giving back to the community.

"Live life in all its fullness" - John 10:10

 Our Core Values

• Aspiration: Encouraging children to aim high and believe in themselves.
• Wisdom: Helping children make thoughtful choices and grow in understanding.
• Endurance: Celebrating perseverance and resilience, even when challenges arise.

Related scripture

As well as John 10:10, we use other scripture to help us embed our vision for the children and to support their understanding. The scriptures we use are many but two of the key texts we use are identified below:

³⁴ “I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. ³⁵ All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.”

John 13: 34-35

 

²⁵ Then an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. He said, “Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”

²⁶ Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you understand from it?”

²⁷ The man answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’^[c] Also, ‘Love your neighbour the same as you love yourself.’^[d]”

²⁸ Jesus said, “Your answer is right. Do this and you will have eternal life.”

²⁹ But the man wanted to show that the way he was living was right. So he said to Jesus, “But who is my neighbour?”

³⁰ To answer this question, Jesus said, “A man was going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Some robbers surrounded him, tore off his clothes, and beat him. Then they left him lying there on the ground almost dead.

³¹ “It happened that a Jewish priest was going down that road. When he saw the man, he did not stop to help him. He walked away. ³² Next, a Levite came near. He saw the hurt man, but he went around him. He would not stop to help him either. He just walked away.

³³ “Then a Samaritan man travelled down that road. He came to the place where the hurt man was lying. He saw the man and felt very sorry for him. ³⁴ The Samaritan went to him and poured olive oil and wine^[e] on his wounds. Then he covered the man’s wounds with cloth. The Samaritan had a donkey. He put the hurt man on his donkey, and he took him to an inn. There he cared for him. ³⁵ The next day, the Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the man who worked at the inn. He said, ‘Take care of this hurt man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again.’”

³⁶ Then Jesus said, “Which one of these three men do you think was really a neighbour to the man who was hurt by the robbers?”

³⁷ The teacher of the law answered, “The one who helped him.”

Jesus said, “Then you go and do the same.”

Luke 10: 25-37

 

Celebrating Success

To bring our vision and values to life, we have a range of awards and recognition systems that celebrate children’s achievements which include,  but are not limited to:

• Hot Chocolate Fridays: Children who receive a positive note or phone call are invited to share hot chocolate with the Headteacher.
• Recognition Boards: Classroom boards highlight children going above and beyond. When everyone is recognised, the class enjoys a one‑minute disco.
• Lunchtime Recognition: The catering team award points. They will be on the look-out for children who go ‘above and beyond’. When 100 points are collected, children earn extra playtime.
• Values Certificates: Awarded weekly in assemblies to children who embody Aspiration, Wisdom, or Endurance.
• Dojo Points: Points linked to values contribute to house totals. The winning house receives the House Cup, and each class celebrates a Dojo Champion of the Week.

 

Golden Leaf Award

This is the most prestigious award in the school. It recognises children who consistently go above and beyond in demonstrating both our rules and our values. There are very few of these given out each year. A child can only be awarded a Golden Leaf Award once while at St Margaret’s.