Our Trust and school vision is to be an exceptional, inclusive church school with a mission to enable all children to flourish. Marhamchurch C of E Academy is a school working in partnership with parents and the community to provide a caring, inspiring learning environment rooted in our core Christian values. We aim to foster and nurture the Christian faith and ethos of the Church of England to enable all members of our school community to develop spiritually, socially, intellectually and emotionally so that everyone can flourish.
FLOURISHING FUTURES – He came so that they may have life and live it to the full. In John 10:10, Jesus said ‘… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’
We believe that the Christian ethos that permeates our school leads to trusting relationships, productive classrooms and an inclusive, caring community. We learn, reflect and grow together towards a future where everyone can flourish.
At Marhamchurch, our core Christian values underpin all that we say and do in school – they are – RESPECT, FRIENDSHIP, HOPE, COMPASSION, COURAGE and THANKFULNESS. Through our core Christian values, we want to ensure that our school is a place that enables children to learn, play, feel safe, happy and valued, where they are able to flourish and experience God’s wonderful world in all it’s fullness. We aim to provide rich, memorable learning experiences which build character and spirituality in every child. We provide the space for all children to flourish and be the best they can be. Our Christian ethos nurtures personal beliefs and attitudes which enables all to seek meaning through life’s journey. Each half term, we focus on one of our core values to teach the children through their day to day lived experience, in Collective Worship, and through our restorative approach to behaviour management.
RESPECT is knowing others are valuable too. Respect is thinking and acting in a positive way about yourself, others and the environment. This value guides our thinking and behaviour.
At our school we explore the Christian teaching that every child and adult is made in God’s image and is uniquely precious and worthy of respect and kindness. Our school values every child equally and is proactive about ensuring that no individual is disadvantaged or treated differently due to their social background, gender, sexual orientation or cultural or religious background. As a community whose life is founded upon Christian values, we do not merely tolerate difference and diversity, we actively celebrate the uniqueness of all individuals and respect their right to hold views that are different from our own. We continually strive to improve our understanding of different faiths and cultural diversity, celebrating the richness of experience and beliefs represented in our wider society.
FRIENDSHIP enables each person to grow and recognises individuality – this may include acts of kindness, sharing games and resources and taking care of each other. Learning about good friendship helps the social and emotional development of our children.
Jesus extends the hand of friendship to everyone. We explore together what friendship with Jesus means for Christians. We encourage an attitude of inclusivity and openness to others, regardless of religious, ethnic or socio-economic background. The culture in our school is democratic and inclusive. However, we know that if our children are to be fully equipped for life, we need to be proactive in forming links and building relationships within a wide range of social, cultural and religious settings.
HOPE is rooted in the love and faithfulness of God. We believe that the world can be better and are prepared to do something about it through courageous advocacy. Hope also means being resilient when things get tough.
For Christians, the source of hope is Jesus – this core value reflects the hope we have for all our children and for our world. In the middle of a global pandemic hope was vital. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23 Hope is knowing that there is light in darkness. At Marhamchurch, we have hope in one another and support each other. We approach each day positively and show resilience when we are challenged. Hope drives us forward. Hope is about believing the world can be better and being prepared to do something about it.
COMPASSION is about showing kindness and consideration towards others. We show empathy and recognise how much God loves us and how he wants us to extend this love to others.
Matthew 7.12: Treat others as you want them to treat you. Jesus’ works of healing were always rooted in his compassion for others. In developing character, we encourage an attitude of empathy and understanding of others, trying to imagine what it is like to stand in the shoes of another. We try to explore what it means to live out Jesus’ teaching, exemplified in the command to do to others as you would have them do to you. (Matthew 7. 12) As a community, we try to share one another’s burdens and to help everyone to know that struggling and failure are not signs of weakness but opportunities to learn more about ourselves and others, and to grow as an interdependent family. We actively look out for opportunities to support charities and good causes that improve the quality of life for people in our own country and the wider world
COURAGE asks us to be brave in the face of adversity. It is being prepared to do the very best we can, have a go and to learn from our mistakes.
Deuteronomy 31. 6: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Learning from Jesus, we recognise that taking a moral stand or tackling a challenge will require courage but we also know that we can pray for God’s strength and his help. As a community, we explore the Christian belief that almost anything is possible and encourage one another to reach our full potential and participate in artistic, sporting and cultural activities that take us outside of our comfort zone. We celebrate individuals such as Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela who have also powerfully informed our values and culture.
THANKFULNESS is joy and gratitude, recognising the good things in life, no matter how small. It is recognising that God is at the centre of all that we do.
Throughout his whole life Jesus’ attitude was one of trust in God and thanksgiving for His provision: Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin. (Matthew 6.28) Following Jesus example, we believe that an attitude of gratitude comes from an active appreciation of what we have. We take time to reflect upon the many blessings that we enjoy acknowledging that some people in our own country as well as in the wider world do not have access to basic necessities such as clean air and space and time to play, education, adequate health care, communication technology or even a healthy diet. We are thankful for the uniqueness of every individual member of our school and the gifts that we all bring and we foster an attitude of thankfulness and respect for nature, aware of its fragility and the impact of human activity on the environment. In all that we do, we try to create a culture of making informed, ethical choices in order to minimise any negative impact on the environment.
Spirituality is not something we can see; it is something we feel inside ourselves. It is about awe and wonder, asking questions, inspiration and being aware of something ‘bigger’ outside of ourselves. We believe spirituality is an ongoing, reflective journey which looks to explore our relationships and connections between ourselves, others, the world and beyond. Spirituality is not something we can see but something we feel within ourselves. Through prayer, stillness, worship and reflection we offer an opportunity to develop spirituality. We ask big questions about the meaning and purpose of life, develop a sense of awe and wonder and aim to develop spirituality through all aspects of our provision.
The Church of England’s Vision for Education states a core desire that children will experience life in all its fullness (John 10:10).
At Marhamchurch C of E Academy, we give children opportunities to:
Educating for courageous advocacy must embody an ethos of action-taking, challenging injustice and becoming agents of change in the transformation of ourselves, our relationships and our communities from the local level to the global.
‘Courageous advocacy’ enables our school community to develop a greater awareness of the challenges others face in life and how they, as individuals, can support causes and make a difference in our school community, local community and further afield.
We take time to reflect upon and be thankful for how fortunate we are to be part of such a nurturing school environment, surrounded by supportive peers and staff, which allows us to live life in all its fullness and flourish as individuals.
Supporting a wide number of charities, locally, nationally and globally, is an integral part of life at Marhamchurch C of E Primary Academy. Staff, children and parents regularly support and organise fundraising events, with children even suggesting and organising events of their own.
We have carried out a range of different fund raising to support many good causes, some of which include:
Our children are learning about the meaning of belonging to a local and global community and the sense of responsibility that comes with belonging. Thereby developing their ability to empathise and make a small sacrifice to benefit others. Together we consider the beauty and fragility of our environment, the actions we take, and the impact these actions may have on the well-being of everyone. Our school community and curriculum actively embraces a responsibility for the world in which we live.