Spiritual Journey

OUR SCHOOL VISION

'A loving branch from which to soar.'

'Those who hope in The Lord will find new strength; They will soar high on wings like eagles.'

Isaiah 40:31

God created us with an overwhelming desire to soar. Our desire to develop and use every ounce of potential He's placed in us is not egotisical. He has designed us to be tremendously productive and to "mount up with wings like eagles" - realistically dreaming of what he can do with our potential. (Carol Kent, president of Speak Up Speaker Services, a Christian speakers’ bureau.) 

We work in partnership with our families, the church and the community to ensure that our school vision underpins our whole school ethos.

The loving branch from which our children soar grows from the tree which is rooted in God's love.

The tree, God's creation, represents our school. our branches are firm, solid and supportive, underpinned by our strong Christian distinctiveness which runs through all that we do.

Our school family nourishes our children in a nest of kindness as they begin to grow their own wings, so that we can all fly high together to make the world a better place.

From the safety and security of our loving branches children have the confidence to flourish and soar.

 Inspired by the Holy Spirit, whether they recognise His influence or not, they can become a voice to be heard.

We recognise that each of God's children will soar in their own direction, a direction which is right for them, so we equip them with the ability to be the best version of themselves before they leave and we celebrate individuality as our children unlock their gifts and passions.

When the children in our care set out on the adventure of a lifetime, those surrounding them, supported by the love of God, will make sure that each and every child has the courage and resilience to follow their dreams and meet life's challenges.

Gladys Aylwood, the early 20th century missionary, whose life story featured in the film 'The Inn of the Sixth Happiness', put this beautifully when she said "The eagle that soars in the upper world, does not worry about how it will cross rivers!"  

Our vision statement is not just intended for the children but is a promise which we all make to each other; children, teachers, parents, family, church and the community.

We are all going on this adventure together, wrapped in God's love, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Our Vision and Values were launched in September 2022 after spending the previous twelve months working with our whole School Family: parents, staff, governors, pupils and members of the community, to arrive at the endpoint. Numerous members of the church (Rev Frances, Beryl Axcell, Paddy Fox and Gill Thompson) supported us on this journey.

OUR SCHOOL VALUES

Within our school family we nurture our core Christian Values:

Hard work - having the resilience and attitude to always try our best

Empowerment - inner strength and confidence 

Acceptance - celebration and understanding of difference

Respect - valuing each other

Thankfulness - awareness and acknowledgement of the need to be grateful

This is how, with God's strength, we soar high like eagles.

These values are integral to our school. We truly live them on a daily basis and each week we celebrate those children who have worked hard to demonstrate these 'Words to Live By'.

These HEART values, which have been generated and created by our School Family (including the visuals), are grounded in the bible passages which can be found here:

The Good Shepherd

A shepherd is someone who looks after the sheep, so they will be safe and find enough food and drink. He knows the whole flock, even the small lambs, and has special care for them. One day a shepherd is looking after his flock. A little lamb has fallen over the edge of a cliff and can’t come up again. The shepherd hurries over, and using his shepherd’s staff, or crook, he brings the lamb up to safety. It is such a relief when the lamb is safe in the shepherd’s arms and is comforted. Jesus is just like the shepherd - He cares for everybody, and especially for the children. That is why He is called the Good Shepherd, and we can always count on Him to look after us and help us when we need it. He cares for us in every way, and most of all that His word can help us and make us happy. In our school we all demonstrate hard work and never give up, just like the Good Shepherd didn't give up until he had found his missing lamb. We all have the belief that we can achieve anything as we are empowered by love and support. We are accepting of everyone, even those who stray or are different from the flock and we always show respect towards one another. Finally, we are all thankful for all that we have and we appreciate the small things as much as the big things, just as the shepherd celebrated when he found his missing lamb.

The Mustard Seed

Have you ever seen a mustard seed? They are the smallest seeds I have ever seen. Even though the mustard seed is one of the smallest of all seeds, when it is planted in the ground, it grows into a plant so large that birds can perch on its branches and can even build their nests in it. Jesus told a parable comparing the mustard seed to the kingdom of God. Jesus said, "How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade" (Mark 4:30-32). When Jesus first began his earthly ministry, He had no followers. The Bible tells us that Jesus was walking along the shore of the sea of Galilee when He saw two fishermen, Peter and his brother Andrew, casting their nets. "Come, follow me," Jesus said to them. They immediately followed Jesus. As they continued on their way, they saw two other brothers, James and John, mending their nets. Jesus called them and they immediately left their nets and followed Him. One by one, Jesus called his disciples until there were twelve of them. That is still a pretty small beginning, isn't it? Jesus sent out the twelve and they brought others to Jesus and the kingdom of God grew. From a very small beginning, the kingdom of God has grown and grown until it has spread over the entire earth. Jesus started growing the kingdom of God with a handful of disciples. At Kettleshulme St James we teach our children that no matter how small they are or how quiet they are that they are part of our School Family, so they belong here and they will flourish here. As they grow, under God's love, they will move closer to the top of the tree and they will eventually soar off in their own direction and in their own way. They will become the bird that they were always destined to be and fly off in the direction which they choose.

These are the passages which we live out in our daily lives, as members of the Kettleshulme St James Family. 

Below you will find an attachment which explains how we teach our HEART values to our children using biblical roots.

WHALEY BRIDGE PARISH

One parish, one congregation, two church buildings. 

We are proud to be part of the Church of England Parish of Whaley Bridge in the Diocese of Chester: a Parish with two churches where we worship.

St James Church is the heart of Taxal, a hamlet a mile or so out of Whaley Bridge. There has been a church on this site since 1286, and a memorial slab of slate in the chancel records the name of Roger Jaudrell, who fought at Agincourt. As a school we embark upon an annual pilgrimage to St James for our Easter Service. 

Holy Trinity Church on Buxton Road in Whaley Bridge dates from the early 20th century and the building has been re-ordered to create a flexible, multi-purpose space used by a number of community groups, as well as being in regular use for worship.

Church leaders are part of our school family and visit us regularly to lead worship in school and take an active part in school life. 

Click here to visit the family page of the parish website.

OUR CHRISTIAN DISTINCTIVENESS

Our staff and governors are committed to providing an excellent education within the context of the Christian faith, which is underpinned by the Chester Diocese vision, which is "Loving in relationships, ambitious in aspirations and bold in actions". We value all children as ‘children of God’ and welcome them into our caring, happy and safe Church of England school family. We welcome everyone to join us, including those families of no faith or of other faiths.

Please refer to our Admissions Policy for more information about our admissions criteria.

Our vision enables and inspires those we serve to achieve their goals and aspirations. We accomplish this through our unwavering Christian ethos, which permeates all that we do, as we value every member of our school community regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or faith.

COLLECTIVE WORSHIP

Collective Worship is a time when we come together, as a School Family, to reflect upon our HEART values which are based upon Christian teaching.

These values are aspirational for those of all faiths and those of none.

During Collective Worship HEART values may be explored through reflection, prayer, music, biblical stories and with reference to Christian festivals and festivals of other faiths.

Worship may be whole school, class-based or key stage. Different members of our school family may lead the worship, including the headteacher, pupils, members of the church and other teaching staff.