Exe ValleyBrampford Speke Church of England school vision statement
This page starts with our school vision statement and explains its theological underpinning and why we have chosen to use this image and bible verse. We have then explained how our school values are the toolkit for putting the school’s vision into practice. Finally, we have outlined how our vision statement links to the Exe Valley Federation, Diocese of Exeter and Church of England visions for education. This helps us to understand how we fit into the wider family of church schools at local, regional and national levels.
Our Church School vision for education
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” [Matthew 13 v 31 to 32].
In Matthew’s gospel, we read of Jesus teaching both large crowds and his smaller group of disciples through parables or stories with a deeper meaning. Jesus explained that parables contained knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven that were being given to the disciples but not to everyone. He illustrated his teaching through stories that were rooted in his audiences’ everyday experiences, including growing crops, separating weeds from wheat and harvesting. This resonates with Brampford Speke School because we are a small village school, surrounded by farmland and this provides employment for many of our families.
One of the parables that Jesus taught has become known as the parable of the mustard seed. Jesus used this to illustrate the way that the kingdom of heaven grows like a small seed in the verses we have chosen for our vision statement.
During the school’s Ofsted inspection in the autumn of 2022, children described Brampford Speke School as ‘small but mighty’ and this phrase was included in the school’s report. When we were thinking about the school’s vision, this phrase kept coming back to us and it resonated with the parable of the mustard seed. Brampford Speke School may be small numerically but it is capable of mighty things, just like the mustard seed that Jesus described in his teaching. The mustard seed starts off small but grows and can eventually accommodate birds in its branches. In the same way, we want our school to flourish, enabling children and adults to grow in learning and in character as we learn to work and live together as a small community.
We have used the image of a tree in our new school logo, including the words, ‘small but mighty’ and have named our two classes after birds, linking to the birds that come to perch in the branches of the tree in Jesus’ parable. This helps us to ground our vision firmly in the words of our children and reminds us every time we talk about our classes that this is based on the teaching of Jesus.
Our Church School values for education
Supporting our vision, are our five shared values; dignity, community, hope, wisdom and love, which underpins all the others. These values are the toolkit that enable us to fulfil our vision and to enable us to grow from something as small as a mustard seed into something as large as a tree.
We try to reflect Paul’s description of love. ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not selfish, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in bad things but it rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.’ [1 Corinthians 13: 4-7].
Love shapes who we are, how we relate to each other and how we learn together. Everyone in our community is valued, known and loved. Because of this love, we treat each other with dignity. We recognise the intrinsic worth of each other and talk kind with each other to encourage and build each other up. We take our inspiration from the way that Jesus cared for people on the edges of society and how his interactions changed their lives. We find this in the example of Jesus’ interactions with Zacchaeus, when he said to the tax collector, “Zacchaeus, I must stay at your house today.” [Luke 19 v 1 to 10].
Being part of a loving, learning community, we understand that when we work well together we can achieve more than when we work alone. Building strong community is the foundation of who we are, recognising and valuing each other’s’ strengths and talents. We draw inspiration from 1 Corinthians 12, recognising that we are a body of different parts of equal value, as well as Paul’s exultation to the Thessalonians to ‘Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.’ [1 Thessalonians 5 v 11].
In any dynamic community, things do not always go well but we recognise that failure does not need to have the last word. As a church school we value the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation and want to support children realise their full potential, broaden their horizons and have hope for the future. We draw inspiration from Jeremiah, who reminds us that God has plans for each of us to prosper us and give us hope for a future [“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29 v 11].
Finally, we want our children to be life-long learners, to build strong foundations and to grow in wisdom. Luke records in his gospel that Jesus, “Grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.” [Luke 2 v 40]. This includes knowing how to apply the things they know and creating their own ethical and moral compass. It also includes knowing how to discern which “voices” to listen to and where to draw inspiration. As a school community, we draw our inspiration from Galatians 5, where we are told the fruits of living God’s way are joy, peace, patience, perseverance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Our Federation vision for education
Our school is part of the Exe Valley Federation group of schools, which includes three church schools and four community schools in Mid and East Devon. The federation’s vision statement is:
“In a creative, caring environment, we all support and challenge each other to develop confidence and independence. As active global citizens, we are inspired to discover and succeed in lifelong learning.”
The Federation’s vision statement was devised in 2016, with contributions from all stakeholders from the original three member schools. It has been refined once since then but has largely remained unaltered because it reflects what we believe is most important to our family of schools. It links to the school’s vision in the following ways:
Challenge
The teachings of Jesus challenged his followers when he first spoke them and continue to challenge us today. Jesus challenges us to follow his teaching and to grow, like the kingdom of God, from a small mustard seed into a mighty tree. In our schools, we are challenged to live out the teachings of Jesus in our everyday life by promoting a culture of high expectations and by challenging and supporting each other in the best way possible, through our curriculum design, teaching and learning.
Discover
As we learn to grow from being small to maturity, we discover how Jesus’ teaching can have a positive impact on our lives. We learn to value each other, with all our differences and to learn from our mistakes. We also discover how we can contribute to the world around us and make a positive difference to our schools, communities and the environment.
Succeed
When we follow the teaching of Jesus, sharing the teachings of Jesus and the church with those around us, we will be able to share success in many different forms. As a small but mighty community, we will equip our children to be safe, happy and confident so that they can achieve the best possible outcomes.
Our Diocesan and Church of England vision for education
The school’s vision statement is supported and rooted in the context of the Church of England and the Diocese of Exeter’s vision statements in the following ways:
The Church of England’s vision for education:
Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good.
The Church of England’s vision for education, ‘Deeply Christian, serving the common good’, echoes the school’s vision to and out as an example of hope and service in the world, following the teachings of Jesus and the church through the years.
The Diocese of Exeter’s vision for education:
To enable all, through the love of God in Jesus Christ, to ‘live life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10b); nurture vision-inspired education, nourish personal and spiritual growth and enable connected communities that flourish.
The concept of enabling children and adults to flourish is recognised by the Diocese of Exeter’s vision for education and this concept has been helpful to us in creating our own vision as a family of schools and as an individual school within the Exe Valley Federation.