Vision and Values
Our School Vision
We are inspired daily by our school Bible verse:
‘Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’
Matthew 5:16
Through this we endeavour to recognise and value the worth of everyone in our school community and, equally, develop each person’s sense of self-worth. We aim to strike a balance between pride and humility, and between self-fulfilment and service. Through our Attachment Aware ethos, we work closely with those who are vulnerable and yet to discover their ‘light’, to ensure that every child reaches their God-given potential.
At Denby Free Primary School, we believe we are in the privileged position to have been gifted the opportunity to pass on the ‘Word of God’, through the teachings of Jesus, to our children and the wider community which we serve so that we might all ‘Live Life in all its fullness’.
Everything we do in our school is based on the search for, and the delight to be found in, Wisdom. We believe that the source of Wisdom is the God of Creation and therefore we must seek Wisdom through striving to have a deeply connected relationship with our world. Many of our children and families experience real anxiety and hopelessness about the climate crisis we find ourselves in. We feel we have a duty to address this in order that we can all live with hope and aspiration for our futures. We seek to ensure that our children are equipped with the knowledge, skills and empowerment needed for 21st Century living. Through this we aim to build hope for the future, which we feel is the cornerstone of all learning.
From a relatively small school in a tiny village in England, we want our children to look out to their communities, both local and global, and learn from the rich diversity of all cultures and traditions. We want them to consider how they will serve in our wonderful world in the future and aspire for them to be beacons of love and compassion by becoming active global citizens and courageous advocates for change. We want them to practise wise faith by asking big questions (taking inspiration from the Book of Job) and to be imaginative and daring in their responses to adversity.
Our School Values
Deeply Christian, theologically rooted practice is at the heart of our school life. Each class has its own focus value so that children get to embrace this over an extended time and experience the value ‘in action’ As they move through school, they are encouraged to develop a value - driven respect for themselves, their community and their environment.
Sparrows: LOVE: Love one another (John 15:17) Story link: The Good Samaritan
Doves: HONESTY Be honest and loyal (Zechariah 8:16) Story Link: The story of Zacchaeus
Owls: WISDOM Try your best (Colossians 3:23) Story link: The Parable of the Talents
Falcons: FORGIVENESS Seek and ask for forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32) Story link: The Prodigal Son
Eagles: GENTLENESS Be Gentle (Ephesians 4:2) Story link: The Parable of the lost sheep.
Our additional whole-school overarching value is ‘Stewardship of the earth’ which links to our Golden thread of the environment.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Other core values that link to our vision:
Hope, Service, Humility, Justice, Peace, Perseverance, Compassion