CHRIST CHURCH CofE
FIRST SCHOOL & NURSERY

Our commitment to equality and inclusion

At Christ Church, we believe that diversity is a strength which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit here. We promote a positive culture of inclusion, in which all those connected to the school feel proud of their identity and able to participate fully in school life.

We are committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers receiving services from the school, irrespective of race, gender, disability, religion, sexuality or socio-economic background.

As a school, we aim to tackle discrimination by the positive promotion of equality, challenging bullying and stereotypes, and creating an environment which champions respect for all.

(Read the Church of England’s report on inclusion and tackling homophobic bullying: All God’s Children.)

Being “global neighbours” and “courageous advocates”

We understand that courageous advocacy – as the name suggests – is about both “being brave” and “speaking up”. For Christians, this is part of a millennia-old prophetic tradition, whereby individuals are called by God to speak uncomfortable truths, challenging people to change their ways. In a school context, this will involve home, school and church working together to make bold, brave choices: doing the right thing, rather than the easy thing or the popular thing. It is about generosity not greed, and service not selfishness.

We believe courageous advocacy is part of Christ Church’s distinctively Christian DNA, consistent with the aims of both Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development (SMSCD) and Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE). Courageous advocacy is at the heart of school life, running like a “golden thread” through all that we do.

At Christ Church, we promote responsible citizenship, global neighbourliness and courageous advocacy in the following ways:

• For children, this means identifying and challenging unfairness. 
• For adults (parents and school staff) this will involve supporting the children in their courageous advocacy.
• For school leaders and governors this includes taking brave strategic decisions based on what is right and in line with the school’s Christian vision, mission and values, rather than what is easiest or most beneficial for the school in the short term.

Our aims

Our values-based Anglican school nurtures curiosity, creativity, ambition and resilience through an inspiring, broad and engaging curriculum, where learning is at the heart of all that we do. Our children develop a moral compass based on Christian values, which allows them to flourish and achieve as caring, respectful, tolerant, active citizens, equipped for life in modern Britain.

At Christ Church, we aim to do the following:

• Create a safe, happy, caring and stimulating learning community where, day-by-day, children and adults live out the school’s core Christian values: Respect, Thankfulness, Perseverance, Forgiveness and Responsibility.
• Encourage aesthetic, spiritual and moral awareness in a Christian atmosphere.
• Develop within each child a moral compass based on Christian values, allowing every girl and boy to grow in character – able to discern right from wrong and to make good choices, allowing them to flourish and achieve as caring, respectful, tolerant, active citizens, equipped for life in modern Britain.
• Foster a growth mindset in children and adults alike, so that school life is characterised by a joyful love of learning, an enthusiasm for hard work and the humility, patience and tenacity necessary to try new things and learn from one’s own mistakes and the mistakes of others.
• Instil an appetite for one’s own progress and success, together with the grace and humility required to respect, celebrate and learn from the successes of others.
• Cultivate the aptitudes, skills and knowledge that will enable every child to achieve their true potential, through praise, encouragement and high expectations of work and behaviour.
• Nurture curiosity, creativity, ambition and resilience through an inspiring, broad and engaging curriculum which offers a sound grounding in the basic skills of literacy and numeracy, together with the independence and confidence to apply these skills.
• Show the importance of socialising and collaborating with sensitivity, consideration and humour.
• Allow children, staff, parents, governors and the community to share in our aspirations.