Vision and Ethos Statement

Vision

Pillar candles with mottoAt Bishop Justus we seek to educate the whole person, so that each child will be able to live ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). We want each child to flourish academically and to realise their potential. This is enabled by an excellent education, a broad and balanced curriculum, with a rich variety of experiences that extend beyond the classroom. We want our children to succeed, in the widest possible sense, using their God given talents fully. We adopt the Church of England’s Vision for Education in our own distinctive way. We have an emphasis on faith, hope and love, knowing as St. Paul said that ‘the greatest of these is love’. We believe that there is truth and meaning to life and that education is a lifelong quest to search for truth. We offer every child hope that they can be the best they can be; faith in themselves, others and God; and most importantly we care for our students because they are children of God. We want our whole community of learners to model core virtues in their lives by being kind and caring in all they do. We expect our students to be wisdom seeking, to work hard together, to develop relationships based in love (agape) so that they treat themselves and others with dignity and respect in all situations. Their learning is life transforming and is one that equips them for the future world. We achieve…

success through faith, love and learning.

 

Ethos

Orbit with mottoWe want our students to have a strong character and be aspirational. The virtues we hope to nurture in our students are many, but in particular these: faith, hope, love, wisdom, courage and kindness. Of all our virtues we emphasise the virtue of love, a love that is perfectly exemplified through the words and actions of Jesus Christ. We want to develop our students to be hard-working and thoughtful individuals who care for themselves and others. Rigorous academic skills and a strong work ethic need to go hand in hand with compassion and empathy in the character of a Bishop Justus student. We base our virtues on Christian teachings rooted in the Bible. These virtues are shared human virtues that can be embraced by all, whether religious or not. Students will develop and strengthen their character through their journey together at Bishop Justus, so that when they leave, they do so as young adults equipped with Christian virtues that will support them for life. They will have received an education that has nurtured them into becoming well-rounded individuals that have strong characters that enable them to live ‘life in all its fullness.’

 

Tree with motto 2

School Virtues

Faith badgeFaith: As a Church school faith in God is of great importance to us. Faith is expressed in our daily acts of worship which are distinctively Anglican in nature. As a virtue, there are other dimensions to faith; faith in humanity (ourselves and others) as children of God and faith that there is truth and meaning to life.

It is not just about having faith in God - but about believing in yourself and others.

 

Hope badgeHope: We hope that we can live life to the fullest. We hope that there is truth, that searching for it will bring us closer to the truth. The worth of each student impels us to work to fulfil their God-given potential, with special consideration given to those who are disadvantaged. We hope that our striving is for the greater good and not in vain, so that we can transform our lives, both individually and collectively, and consequently the world around us.

Be hopeful, don’t give up, you can do it.

 

Love badgeLove: As St. Paul said, we can have the strongest faith, and have the greatest of knowledge, but without love we are nothing. The love (agape) that the Bible speaks of is ‘patient, kind, not jealous, persevering, not rude, not arrogant or boastful, but rejoices in the truth, and is always ready to make allowances, to trust, to hope and endure whatever comes.’ (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7) Ultimately, as St John said- ‘God is love, whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in them’ (1 John 4:16). Love enables both the individual and the community to flourish. Therefore, love is our greatest virtue.

Put love into everything you do, especially your work and your actions at school.

 

Wisdom badgeWisdom: We endeavour to foster each student with a love of wisdom, so they value and search for it in their life and learning. Wisdom is not the sole domain of any subject, therefore we provide a rich curriculum and one that is taught by passionate and caring teachers who want to develop the whole child. The Bible is passionate about both wisdom-seeking and the importance of teaching and learning. Wisdom has at its base knowledge, but also moves above analysis and evaluation and beyond what exams can assess.

Ask questions, seek answers, think and search for the truth. Be thoughtful and apply logic and love to all things.

 

Courage badgeCourage: In the world we are called to be a voice of truth. This means we need to be courageous and stand up for the rights of all. Martin Luther protested about abuses in the church 500 years ago and Martin Luther King sought to transform the world because he dreamt of a place where God’s children could thrive together without discrimination. Without courage, change doesn't happen, and each of us are called to be courageous in our own lives and in developing the world around us.

Stand up for what is right, and do what is right even if others do not.

 

Kindness badgeKindness: The virtue of kindness is an extension of love. As St. Paul writes ‘love is always patient and kind’. It is a virtue that is easily seen and can be expressed in a variety of ways in the daily lives of students in school, for example: through courtesy, respect and friendliness.

Be kind in all your interactions with others, in your greetings, conversations and actions.

 

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