Our Mission statement:

With Christ as our guide and example we celebrate the uniqueness of the individual. Together we will try to:

Learn from Jesus;

Love like Jesus;

Live like Jesus.

Our active Mission statement guides and supports all that we do. It is shared with pupils, staff, parents and governors and is revisited annually. Knowing the difference between right and wrong is a fundamental understanding which helps us to recognise Christ in every individual. Children are encouraged to ensure that their behaviour strongly reflects our Mission statement; this message is reinforced across the curriculum, including through assemblies, liturgies and daily acts of collective worship.

We promote the Gospel values of love, faith, diligence, tolerance and respect for others. We want our children to grow up to be hardworking, respectful, good citizens, who know the difference between right and wrong and recognise Christ in everyone.

There are many practical examples of how this happens every day in school. Our children support a wide variety of local and national charities and community projects, with events organised through the school council. Our choir visits and entertains elderly people of the Parish. Our Junior Road Safety Officers encourage pupils and parents to act as responsible citizens and walk to school. We have an active PTA which encourages families to become involved in the school community.

Promoting British values at St. Patrick’s

At St Patrick’s we actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs in the following ways:

Democracy

We develop the value of democracy through our active promotion of the democratic process. Children in each year group have the opportunity to put themselves forward each term for the role of school council member. The school council meets monthly to discuss issues and concerns raised by their peers and focus on particular school improvement projects. Elections are also held for the responsibility posts of house and vice house captains and all of the children are voted for by their peers.

The rule of law

The children learn about the importance of laws, whether they are those that govern the class, the school, or the wider community. They are taught the rules of the school, including playground and safety rules. Children learn the reasons for and values behind rules and laws, including the responsibilities which accompany them. We liaise closely with authorities such as the police and fire services to reinforce this message. The rule of law is promoted through our PSHE programme and our work as a Rights Respecting School.

Individual liberty

The children are encouraged to make choices in a safe, supportive environment with clear boundaries and consequences. We promote and develop their personal awareness and self esteem to enable them to grow in confidence and achieve their potential. As a rights respecting school, the children are taught about their own rights and personal freedoms and advised how to exercise these safely, with respect for the rights of others. They are encouraged to develop their personal responsibility through the RE curriculum, PSHE programme, e safety lessons and the questions addressed in our Philosophy for Children agenda.

Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

As a Catholic community we welcome all and recognise Christ in everyone. Children are encouraged to understand that their behaviour has an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the community are expected to treat each other with respect and are reminded of this through class charters, school rules and our behaviour policy. We actively encourage the children to learn how to demonstrate mutual respect through assemblies, liturgies and collective worship.

Our primary intention is to enable children to develop their personal relationship with God and their spirituality, in a Catholic environment. We also explore the teachings and philosophies of other world faiths through our RE curriculum and PSHE lessons. Children are taught the need for tolerance in all aspects of life and are helped to find similarities rather than differences between different faiths and cultures. We explore the diversity of our school community; children of different faiths and cultures are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and throughout the school.