Our Mission and Values
Our Mission
At St. Francis de Sales Catholic Infant and Junior Schools Federation we attempt to follow the guidance given to us by St Francis, who said, “Be who you are and be that well.” As a Catholic school, we encourage our children to be unique, creative, open-minded and independent individuals, respectful of themselves and of others in our school, our local community and the wider world. We seek to develop the whole person and to nurture our children on their journey through life so they can grow into safe, caring, democratic, responsible and tolerant adults who make a positive difference to the wider community.
This philosophy gives rise to our mission statement…
At St Francis de Sales every child will achieve their own personal excellence by making outstanding progress in their academic, social and spiritual development. This will enable them to excel at secondary school and then attend a further educational institution should they choose.
Our Values
Children have an entitlement to achieve well academically and at the same time to grow in equal measure in understanding Gospel values and living a rewarding Catholic life. The aim for our children is that when they leave in Y6, they are equipped to excel at secondary school and build the foundation for success in the world of post compulsory education. When they arrive in society with positions of power and authority, will be prepared for those positions by our five values instilled in them during their time at the school;
Aspiration
In striving to be extraordinary we will...
- Believe in ourselves
- Give our best effort
- Be disciplined
- Work hard and use time well
- Set clear and concise goals
- Follow exemplary role models
Engagement
In striving to engage joyfully in our work we will...
- Always praise effort
- Show enjoyment in work and learning
- Remain purposeful and motivated
- Acknowledge successes
- Be creative in our approach
- Inspire others through my own actions and attitude
Respect
In striving to be respectful we will...
- Do as we would be done by
- Follow the rules
- Listen thoughtfully and disagree tactfully
- Have outstanding presentation of self; Appearance, Words
- Be creative in our approach
- Be polite and well mannered
Resilience
In striving to show resilience we will...
- Take risks
- Remain flexible
- Show determination
- Aim for a clear goal
- Have outstanding attendance and punctuality
Teamwork
In striving to work collaboratively we will...
- Believe in the school's mission and values
- Avoid conflict through dialogue
- Remain positive at all times
- Be willing to liaise and share
- Show support for others
- Show emotional intelligence
British Values
In addition to the school's focus on these values for learning, in November 2014 the Department for Education published guidance on promoting British values in schools to ensure young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. All schools have a duty to ‘actively promote’ the fundamental British values of:
• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural
At St. Francis De Sales, we put SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) education at the heart of school development; thinking about the people we aspire to be, the world we aspire to create and the education we aspire to provide. It encompasses personal development across the whole curriculum.
Through our 5 core values, we encourage students to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the life of the school and the wider society.
The children develop their respect and awareness of democracy here in St. Francis when they participate in the democratic process by annually voting for School Council representatives. We also have Digital Leaders, Faith Ambassadors and Reading Champions who promote and develop other aspects of school life.
Through our wide and varied extra-curricular clubs, visits and activities, we enable students to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-confidence and respect for others.
Our RHE curriculum and robust behaviour systems ensure that the children understand the difference between right and wrong and how this can relate to the Rule of Law in England.
In our culturally diverse school community, we enable students to have an appreciation and respect for their own and others’ cultures through school visits and celebrations within school.