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 potenial. (Carol Kent) 

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 are grounded on the bible passages which can be found here: 

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 plan to have an annual pilgrimage to St James. 

Holy Trinity Chruch 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, governors and trustees 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.