What is our whole school vision?
At Morpeth All Saints our Christian vision is one of a superabundance of life, rooted in the bible, as told through John’s Gospel: ‘I have come that they may have life and have it in all its fullness…Together we Flourish!’ (John 10:10) Aligned with the Church of England’s own vision for education, it is underpinned by Jesus’ teachings. It is this promise – a promise of life in all its fullness – that drives everything we do, and seek to offer, at Morpeth All Saints.
Worship and our Special Stories
Jesus elaborates on what having ‘life in all its fullness’ means when he continues to say ‘I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.’ (John 10:14-16). As the Good Shepherd tends his sheep, so we nurture our children in a safe, secure environment to ensure they thrive and fulfil their potential as good shepherds of the future. Jesus is presented as the true ‘good shepherd’, who will lay down his life for us. He promises to lead, guide, and protect us, keeping all followers- his precious sheep -safe from harm. ‘I am the gate for the sheep; whoever enters through me will be saved…He (Jesus) calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.’ (John 10:1-18) Here, Jesus shows how he knows each and every one of his precious flock. This helps us teach all our pupils that they are special, safe and valued, just like Jesus’ sheep.
‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’(Luke 15) Children are also taught to identify with the shepherd, allowing them to see the potential they have, through their unique character and actions, to contribute to the good of all. During our daily collective worship, we regularly re-visit our special bible stories about ‘The Good Shepherd’ (John 10) and the parable of ‘The Lost Sheep’ (Luke 15) to ensure that everyone understands their importance within our school community.
Our Curriculum
During their time with us, our pupils gain a rich experience and understanding of Christianity, encountering Jesus’ teachings and practice to enhance not only their lives, but the lives of others. They learn about the wonderfully diverse world we live in and are taught to respect and appreciate other cultures, religions and worldviews in order to truly flourish together. As individual ‘Good Shepherds’ children will love and take care of others, enabling them to build strong and lasting relationships. They will be taught to develop their moral compass and act as role models for others in and outside of school, following our school behaviour expectations of ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe.’ Our curriculum also promotes a sense of responsibility in children to become shepherds of the Earth, developing their awareness of our footprint on the environment and our hopes for a sustainable future for all. Our children are actively encouraged to serve others and take on responsibilities within our school community. Most importantly, children are shown that as a collective ‘flock’ we all have a part to play in promoting true well-being for all and therefore focus on the support and development of the following skills: perseverance, growth mindset, reflection, socialisation and self-regulation.
Spirituality
At the heart of everything we do at Morpeth All Saints, is the belief that all children are infinitely precious. We celebrate their joy in learning and immersive play, so children have the skills to maximise their engagement with, and appreciation for, the world around them. We encourage children’s creativity within outdoor learning, the Arts and Sciences; instilling awe, wonder, fascination and delight. Using our shared language of spirituality, we encourage children to look ‘in’ at themselves, their emotions and ideas around their experiences, whilst practising self-love and wholeness; ‘out’ towards the wonder of the wider world and others by loving thy neighbour; and finally, ‘up’, encouraging children to explore and consider something greater than themselves, asking big questions about what they discover and experience, whilst providing opportunities for prayer and reflection. Our mission is to develop confident, delighted pupils with great emotional intelligence, peace, creativity and a passion for all that life can offer. We seek to ensure all pupils reach their full potential, becoming all they are made to be with confidence and contentment.
Our core values
By the end of their time at Morpeth All Saints, children will have the opportunity to experience a secure academic, moral and spiritual foundation. In doing so, they will develop the skills for lifelong learning, seeking truth and know-how. It is thanks to this that our pupils are able to maximise their engagement and experience of the world around them in a nourishing way. This is achieved through our aspirational curriculum and 5 core values:
- Love
- Hope
- Joy
- Honesty
- Thankfulness
We teach, model and reinforce these Christian values at every opportunity. They are woven throughout the fabric of all we do! It is through the outworking of these values, that our vision of ‘flourishing together’ sees our school family go beyond what is expected. In every direction. Everyday.
Come with us as we learn about all we were made to be!
What do we do to make sure our vision includes everyone?
Our vision was co-constructed by our pupils, staff, governors, local members of the clergy and the Diocese. We are an utterly relational school, seeking to produce delighted parents, fulfilled staff and accomplished students. Our hospitable community works to achieve an outworking of our vision of human flourishing, together.
All can take part in an invitational daily worship where our Christian values are explicitly taught and referred to throughout the day. This enriches the life of our school and builds us up in love, joy, hope, honesty and thankfulness. Children and adults are encouraged to be reflective about the impact of worship and its teachings: this can enrich all their lives, whether they follow the Christian religion, other religion or none. We are a ‘No Outsiders’ fully inclusive school – without compromise. We nurture all members of our school community to be the best version of themselves in order to thrive as a result of good mental health and well-being. It is of the utmost importance that all pupils feel safe, peaceful, secure and loved.
High aspirations for all are shared across the whole school. Additional intervention is targeted and utilised carefully, ensuring all children are supported in a timely manner, making their very best progress. A culture of excellence is fostered through innovation and compassion where every student thrives academically, socially, personally and spiritually.
What are our school aims in order to ensure our vision is fully lived?
At Morpeth All Saints, we build in all our pupils, staff and families a sense of belonging, knowing that together we help one another to flourish. We do this by communicating and collaborating effectively, establishing effective teamwork across the whole school community, thus ensuring that everyone’s voice is equal, heard and valued.
All stakeholders are treated well; with dignity, love, and respect. Each child is celebrated, praised and encouraged for their uniqueness and god-given gifts. We encourage a culture of continuous reflection and improvement, which challenges and inspires everyone to always ‘be the best they can be’.
Our culture of challenge and high expectation is maintained throughout school enabling all individuals to reach their potential through the provision of high-quality teaching, support and leadership. Our aspirational vision gives pupils the opportunity to make sustainable changes within their own moral and character development. We provide a fully engaging, challenging curriculum; rich in knowledge, experiences and cultural capital. This allows all our pupils to experience life to the fullest.
Children’s awareness of self, community and globally diverse issues are fostered, with the belief that we develop with each other and that together we are more. Pupils are encouraged to participate in an active culture of justice and responsibility, feeling empowered to become agents of change in an age-appropriate way.
All are supported to gain the strength to not despair when things go wrong in life; empathetically supporting others to navigate their way through times of hardships. Children gain an understanding of Christianity where they can encounter Jesus’ teachings and practice to enhance their lives and those of others. Encouragement is given to promote children’s natural curiosity and questioning. This in turn deepens their understanding of the world around them, teaching our pupils respect and stewardship for our natural environment and global issues.
Our vision of ‘Together we Flourish’ (John 10:10) is lived and achieved by the coming together of all staff, governors, parents and children at Morpeth All Saints.
Our School Values
Our school values of LOVE, HOPE, JOY, HONESTY and THANKFULNESS are woven throughout the fabric, environment and culture at Morpeth All Saints. Without these values, we recognise it is difficult to flourish and live life in all its fullness.
What do our Morpeth All Saints values mean to us?
LOVE: Our children and staff care and respect each other without wanting anything in return. We always want our words and actions to show love and value to those around us.
HOPE: In our school hope is much more than just wishing as hard as we can that things will be different. It is about believing that the world can be better and being prepared to do something to enable this to happen.
JOY: Experiencing joy goes beyond happiness which can change with the ups and downs of life. We want children and adults to find deep satisfaction and delight in the big and small things in life and to celebrate these.
HONESTY: We value being truthful as part of living a good life and building trust with one another. Being honest involves being brave and even being willing to admit our mistakes.
THANKFULNESS: We look for all the good around us and we are grateful. We look for those who are responsible for these good gifts and we simply say ‘thank you’.
