Our Vision
St. Matthew’s, as a ‘gift of God’, aims to serve the community and the common good by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian beliefs and practice. We offer strong leadership with an approach which provides a broad and balanced curriculum that fosters all elements of children’s growth as learners. This is supported by a clear vision, an embedded set of Christian values and a strong Christian character where children are encouraged to foster the St Christopher's Trust values of respect, understanding, compassion, tolerance and forgiveness as they learn to broaden their horizons and to achieve their all-round potential within an aspirational setting.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
[Matthew 5: 14-16]
' Let your light shine!'
Our mission
is to work to support and ensure all pupils and staff flourish and excel in their aspirations. We value and welcome all God's children to our St Matthew's family.
St Matthew’s C of E Primary and Nursery Academy will put the children at the very heart of what we do.
In the course of their daily work the staff will contribute to the development of our school ethos , ' Let your light shine!' by:
Our Christian Values
Our Christian Values have been chosen by staff, governors , pupil and parents.
We have chosen Love, Forgiveness, Courage, Hope, Trust and Spirit.
Together they help us to remember to
' Let your light shine!'
Love
forgIveness
couraGe
Hope
Trust
Spirit
Our Christian Values are all based on biblical scripture, the linked verses are as follows:
Love
Mark 12:31
31 The second commandment is this ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. ’There is no commandment greater than these.”
Forgiveness
Matthew 6:14
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
Courage
Joshua 1:9
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Hope
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Trust
Psalm 20:7
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Each week, along with a 'learning' star, each class will also nominate a 'values' star - someone who their peers believe does a good job of representing one or more of the school values.
Embedding our Christian Values together
Our Academy values will make reference to the Christian values as exemplified in the life and teachings of Jesus and the Department for Education (DFE) stated British values
The Government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy and these values were reiterated by the Government in 2014 in their departmental advice for maintained schools: “Schools should promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”
These are prominent in the Gospel values that are at the core of every aspect of life in church schools and we will promote these values. The following prompts will support our staff, pupils, governors and parents in ensuring that our Academy’s values are shared, promoted, embedded, evaluated and reviewed.
Leadership and values:
Our Academy values will be explicit in the daily life of our Academy ( a bit like the writing that runs throughout a stick of rock) . Our values need to appear in all our policies but more importantly, need to be promoted through all that we do and all that we say.
Staff, Governors, pupils and parents need to share our values and be able to articulate the values
Our governors will ensure all aspects of Academy life are upheld by the Academy values
Our community will review the impact of the values on the life of the school through forums, feedback and questionnaires.
Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum:
Our schemes of work will make reference to the school values and the British values
Our schemes of work are underpinned by the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils which enabling them to become responsible citizens
We will make and take opportunities, in all subjects and every aspect of school life, for pupils to embrace the school values
We will support our pupils to understand the difference between right and wrong and to have the self- confidence to challenge others when our Academy values are not upheld.
We will provide a range of free and paid extra-curricular clubs that will broaden pupils’ experience of our Academy values
Collective Worship:
Our Academy values will be promoted through the collective worship programme
This is our school Prayer:
Almighty God
We give you our school.
We give you all the adults who work here,
We give you all the children who learn here.
We pray our school will be a place of great discovery, adventure and creativity.
May it be a place where we love to learn and where we learn to love,
A place where every one is respected and all are deeply valued.
We ask all this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Promoting our Christian Values
Promoting British Values at St Matthew's
We are part of a British society, and it is important to us that children learn the universal principles of:
We will achieve these values, for all staff and pupils, by:
Creating an open, inclusive ethos where children and adults can be themselves, develop courtesy, respect and tolerance for others.
Promoting mental health and wellbeing through our curriculum as well as using in house and external agency support.
Promoting equality of opportunity outlined in our policies
Having a clear code of conduct, where children are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions
Encouraging collaboration as one of our core learning values
Supporting and promoting leadership skills and responsibilities within the school
Taking an active interest in our service and more vulnerable families
Our broad and balanced Curriculum will promote these values by providing opportunities:
- to celebrate diversity, different festivals and key celebrations in the year
- to learn about our nation and its heritage, for example Remembrance service
- to learn about Key British leaders, explorers and inventors
- to use of our local area
-that encourage a sense of community responsibility eg; the local Church, police and fire services etc..
-to learn about cultures and faiths; how are we different from one another, and how are we the same?
-to understand Plymouth as part of a global community; learning about and communicating with children from across the world
Through the provision of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural education (SMSC), St Matthew’s Academy will:
• enable our children to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;
• enable our children to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England;
• encourage our children to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of our Academy and to society more widely;
• enable our children to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England;
• further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling our children to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures;
• encourage respect for other people;
• encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.