Values & Ethos

Our Vision Statement

Let Your Light Shine;
on everyone, everywhere, everyday
We aim to let every child:
Let our Light Shine

(Matthew 5 - 16)

The first part of our vision is from Matthew 5:16 in the Bible 'In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.'  We feel it is vital for our children to let their lights shine in so many ways in school but also to help others’ lights shine.  This is why we have included everyone, everywhere, everyday to show children how it is important to shine in many different ways.

Shining on everyone is about the ways in which we live out our school values in school and with others in our local and global communities.

Letting our light shine everywhere is about making sure we share and show our school values wherever we are, whether this is in school or outside in our local communities.

We also think it is important that children let their light shine everyday in lots of different ways, sharing good with the world.

Theological Roots
The phrase 'Let your light shine' comes from the Bible, specifically from the book of Matthew chapter 5 verse 16, in which Jesus says, 'In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.'

This is Jesus encouraging his followers to live in a way that is exemplary and that brings honour to God, so that others may see their good deeds and be drawn to God. In other words, they should be a good influence on others, and by doing so they will show the love and grace of God to the people around them.

In school, we have a reflection area that is linked to our image of a flame/candle/star/sun, Children are able to focus on our school value and reflect in our box.  We then share these reflections in our weekly worships.

Statement of entitlement

At Canon Popham C of E Primary Academy we  are committed to offering high quality collective worship. We recognise and value collective worship as central to fostering a sense of community and to express our schools Christian vision. Collective  worship is held daily and is an opportunity to reflect on larger questions of meaning and purpose.  It is a chance to foster a sense of fellowship and cohesion within the school community. 

Our worship is inclusive, invitational and inspiring. We aim to 'Nourish those with faith, encourage those of other faiths and challenge those with no faith'. We are passionate about worship impacting the children's lives beyond the classroom and encouraging all children to 'Live life in all its fullness' and give them a sense of hope for the future. 

We follow a recognisable structure and as a Church of England school will use our collective worship times to build on the rich, lived diversity of Anglican tradition and identity.  

At Canon Popham C of E Primary Academy, pupils and their families can expect a high-quality religious education (RE) curriculum that is rich and varied, enabling learners to acquire a thorough knowledge and understanding of a range of faiths and world views. We teach according to the Doncaster Agreed Syllabus.

As a church school, the teaching of Christianity is at the heart of our RE curriculum. Links with our school vision, and support for pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development are intrinsic to our RE curriculum and have a significant impact on learners. We provide a wide range of opportunities for learners to understand and to make links between the beliefs, practices and value systems of the range of faiths and world views studied.

RE is an academic subject that has a high profile in our school curriculum. It is a priority for senior leaders, who ensure that the teaching, learning and resourcing of RE is comparable with other curriculum subjects.

This means that the RE curriculum:

 - is intrinsic to the outworking of our distinctive Christian vision in enabling all pupils to flourish. In addition, it contributes to British values and to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
 - is delivered in an objective, critical and pluralistic manner to engage and challenge all pupils through an exploration of core concepts and questions. Lessons provide meaningful and informed dialogue with a range of religions and worldviews.
 - reflects a good balance between the disciplines of theology, philosophy and human science, to enable pupils to develop their religious literacy. (Religious Literacy: Helping children and young people hold balanced and well informed conversations about religion and belief.) (Key Principles of a balanced curriculum in RE.)
 - enables pupils to acquire a rich, deep knowledge and understanding of Christian belief and practice, including the ways in which it is unique and diverse, whilst engaging with biblical texts and theological ideas.
 - provides opportunities for pupils to understand the role of foundational texts, beliefs, rituals, and practices and how they help to form identity in a range of religions and worldviews.
 - supports the development of other curriculum areas and other general educational abilities such as literacy, empathy and the ability to express thoughts, feelings and personal beliefs.
 - encompasses the full range of abilities to ensure that all flourish academically, using a wide range of teaching and learning strategies which consider the task, outcome, resource, support and pupil grouping as appropriate to pupils’ needs
 - offers tasks that are age appropriate, challenging and sufficiently demanding to stimulate and engage all pupils, whilst extending the most able and providing support for those who need it.
 - ensures that all pupils’ contributions are valued in RE as they draw on their own experiences and beliefs.

Our vision is to work together as a Christian community to nurture our children within a happy, stimulating and caring school.


A place where:

  • Christian values are at our heart: endurance, compassion, thankfulness, forgiveness, justice and hope

  • Everyone is unique and welcome

  • We respect and care for everyone and everything around us

  • High standards are expected and achievements celebrated so that everyone is able to reach their full potential

  • Self-esteem and confidence are nurtured on a journey of self- discovery

 

Everyone Matters!

Our school is proud to have a distinctive Christian character.


We show this through:

  • Daily worship collectively as a whole school, in key stages or in our classrooms to include reflection and responding times

  • Daily prayer

  • Prayer corners in every classroom

  • School values displayed in classrooms and across school

  • Children regularly say The Lord’s Prayer

  • Our religious education is enquiry based and encourages children to make comparisons to the Christian faith whilst also teaching about other world religions.

  • The cross having a prominent place within our school

  • The children hearing the gospel read weekly outside of worship time and opportunity to discuss and ask questions about the bible stories heard

  • We celebrate Christian festivals

  • We have a close relationship with the Church and Rector, and support and promote each other’s interests

  • House teams are named after Saints and are celebrated on their days

 

 

Christian Values for Life

Our school has 6 ‘Christian Values for Life’ which underpin all of our work in school. While there are many other Christian Values, these were chosen as being particularly relevant and appropriate for our school’s ethos and for the primary stage of education. The school recognises that by setting the foundations with these 6 values, we are supporting and preparing the children to become good citizen’s within their communities, for their whole lives.They are:

Endurance – see Psalm 118
Although the word refers to humans standing firm in the face of hardship, persecution or scorn, it is important to note the constant assurance in the Bible that God’s love, mercy, faithfulness and righteousness endure forever. In our academy, we teach the children to develop a sense of resilience and to keep going, when they are facing difficulties, should this be personally or with elements of learning.

Compassion- see Matthew 9:36
Compassion’ and ‘sympathy’ have much in common and both are stronger in meaning than simply ‘feeling sorry for’ someone. The words have their roots in the idea of ‘suffering with’ someone, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and experiencing what they experience. This leads to a desire to act, to do something In our academy the daily act of thinking about others, being kind and supportive of each other, as well as learning about the wider need for global support of good causes enables children to become good citizens of the future.

Thankfulness- see Luke 17: 11-19
Thankfulness has always been at the centre of the life and worship of God’s people. ‘Songs of thankfulness and praise…’ are at the heart of Christian worship. Thankfulness is directed towards God who gives and sustains life. Seeing the world as God’s creation underpins the way we approach everything in life, seeing it as a gift and not as a right. In our academy, we aim to help the children to be thankful daily for the blessings in their lives, such as the right to education, and to apply this thankfulness daily in acts of worship.

Forgiveness- see Matthew 18: 21
Forgiveness is fundamental to the character of God. Throughout the Bible, God is described as slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin In our academy, we teach the children that as part of restorative practice, and to be created in the image of God, we should forgive, just as God forgives us.

Justice- see Proverbs 29:7
Justice also means giving all people – particularly the poor and oppressed – what it is right and fair for them to have: life, health, freedom and dignity. It is about acting out of a concern for what is right and seeing right prevail. In our academy, we aim to help children understand that they have the right to be treated with fairness and dignity at all times, but with this right comes the responsibility of also treating others with fairness and justice.

Hope- see 1 Corinthians 13:13
Hope is a universal human phenomenon. Where hope is lost there is despair and disintegration. Hope generates energy and sustains people through difficult times. For some people, hope is so strong that it inspires self-sacrifice to turn hope into reality. True hope is much more than a general idea that things will get better. It is more than a belief in progress, which sees the world and people as getting better all the time, growing away from violence, ignorance and confusion.

In our academy, the value of hope pervades all that we do. Every child matters, every day and as we teach children about growth mindset, we show them that as individuals they can grow and change for the better, and also be influential in their communities and their world. This is the stuff of which we create the kingdom of God on earth.

 

 

Who was Canon Popham?

Canon Popham was the rector for the parish of Kirk Sandall and carried out numerous activities and writings on behalf of the young people in his parish.

He became a well known figure for the books he wrote on education and because he held the education of children so highly, he worked hard for the children of the parish and education country wide.

Canon Popham Church of England Primary and Nursery School is named after him and it is an honour to be part of a school whose roots are steeped in high standards of education and a strong Christian ethos.