Ethos and Values at Bishop Challoner
Ethos
Our Mission
Bishop Richard Challoner wrote that ‘Sanctity (becoming a saint or being close to God) consists of doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.’ Our mission is to prepare and enable our young people to live this out as a daily reality.
In order to carry out our Mission, we believe that we should aim to:
- Provide an ambitious, happy, secure, caring and challenging learning environment within a welcoming Christian Community.
- Create a Catholic community, encouraging an understanding of our faith through teaching and active prayer.
- Encourage the highest standards of academic excellence and behaviour.
- Educate and celebrate the whole person as an individual, preparing them spiritually, morally, physically, socially, intellectually, culturally and emotionally for their future lives.
- Build self-confidence and resilience in our young people.
- Provide a firm and consistent framework of discipline and encourage children to take responsibility for themselves.
- Actively involve parents and carers in the education of their children.
- Encourage an awareness of and a respect for other faiths.
- Provide effective liaison with local colleges and providers, ensuring continuity of education and vocation.
- Encourage children to do their personal best, enjoy their school experiences and build upon their successes.
Values
Our Catholic Christian Values
In order to achieve this ethos within our school and the wider community that we serve, there are a number of values and principles which guide our actions in school.
Principal among these is Love, as Christ commands us to ‘Love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and our neighbour as ourselves.’ St Augustine also reminds us, ‘Love and do what you will.’
Our educated conscience perceives this love in harmony with and through the life and teaching of Christ, who in the beatitudes calls us to a blessed life which is our true vocation. We are called in particular to witness this grace and decision through solidarity, faithfulness and integrity, dignity and compassion, humility and gentleness, truth and justice, forgiveness and mercy, purity and holiness, tolerance and peace, service and sacrifice.
Our British Values
It is clear that as a Christian country Gospel values underpin the values of the British Society in which we live:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
Examples of the actions we take to promote British values include:
Democracy
- Having an elected School Council and Student Voice representatives
- Highlighting the importance of democratic ideas in history lessons
- Ensuring all pupils are listened to by adults
- Taking part in Student Voice and Model United Nations
The Rule of Law
- Creating class rules and protocols
- Having a clear behaviour policy that is explained to all
- Highlighting the rules of the Church and God in the RE curriculum, for example the 10 commandments and the Sermon on the Mount
- Through RE and history teaching about the development of the Rule of Law in English law, a legal system inspired by Christian values and a major influence across the world
Individual Liberty
- Encouraging students to be independent in their learning
- Providing students with opportunities for reflection as they take responsibility for discerning their vocation
Mutual Respect
- Having a Mission Statement that is inclusive and easily understood
- Reinforcing the value of everyone’s opinion in class discussions
- Having an effective anti-bullying policy
- Emphasizing in RE and PSHE lessons that every person is unique and created in the Image and Likeness of God
- Having active links with other schools
- Supporting charitable works
Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs
- RE lessons provide pupils with a deep understanding of their own faith as well as awareness of the faith and tradition of other religious communities as a basis for understanding and respecting them
- Philosophy club provides a wider appreciation of different world-views
- Celebration of Black History Month