Our Christian Vision and Values
Our Vision Statement
At Bramley, we are a COMPASSIONATE, nurturing school which enables everyone to flourish feeling confident in their uniqueness, being FRIENDS with others and showing RESPECT for all, whilst making a positive contribution to God’s world.
Our vision is summarised as:
- Being confidently me
- Showing kindness to all
- Making a difference
Our Values
What do our values mean for Bramley?
Compassion is all about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, especially when they are having a hard time. It’s about trying to understand how they are feeling and then being pro-active in wanting to help. Jesus showed compassion towards those less fortunate and his works of healing were always prompted by compassion for people’s suffering. We learn about compassion through planned experiences during Collective Worship, a broad, rich curriculum and through books and stories. We also embrace opportunities which present themselves throughout the school day.
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger in rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” Psalm 145: 8-9
Friendship - At Bramley, we are all friends as we want the very best for each other. True friendship enables people to grow and ensures that the unique individuality of each person is recognised. It can take a long time to learn how to be a great friend, someone who can be trusted and relied upon. To have friends first one needs to be a friend. All this echoes the value placed by God on the preciousness of each person and the values that Jesus displayed through his friendship with his disciples.
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.” 1 John 4:7
Respect is the foundation stone of relationships within our school and wider community. Through daily worships, we use bible stories to provide examples of respect and also teach children to make the right choices, recognising how their choices have an impact on others. As a school community we need to be conscious that God has created all people in His image.
Respect is an important core value in the Christian faith because through the creation of the 10 commandments, God encourages us all to “Love thy Neighbour as you love yourself”, respecting all others regardless of our differences, values and beliefs, fostering tolerance between each other.
“Treat others as you would want them to treat you” Matthew 7:12
Living Our Vision and Values
At Bramley, we are a COMPASSIONATE, nurturing school which enables everyone to flourish feeling confident in their uniqueness, being FRIENDS with others and showing RESPECT for all, whilst making a positive contribution to God’s world.
Our vision is summarised as:
- Being confidently me
- Showing kindness to all
- Making a difference
Our vision is underpinned by the Christian values of Compassion, Friendship and Respect. These values are shared by all staff, governors and children and they inspire all that we do.
Values Wristbands - As we continue our drive to embed the new School Values of Compassion, Friendship and Respect, we have introduced Values Wristbands.
We use the Values Wristbands as a way of promoting and rewarding individuals for displaying our values. Any adult can give one to any child who clearly demonstrates our values in and around school. The wristbands are in three colours which relate specifically to either Friendship, Compassion or Respect, showing which behaviours we have spotted in school.
Celebrating Diversity - Throughout the year, we hold Values days that highlight one of our school values but also to provide an opportunity to focus on celebrating and understanding diversity and differences.
Compassion -
Friendship -
Respect -
Being confidently me -
Showing kindness to all - Understanding how to interact and stay safe online - Safer Internet Day
Making a difference -
Charity Work - Throughout the year, we aim to show our value of Compassion in school, towards our local community and towards people we will never meet. Our Harvets collection gathered more than 600kg of donations which we took to our local foodbank. They say this will provide more than 250 'meals' for those in need.
Children took part in the Reindeer Run just before Christmas to support St Michael’s Hospice – it was so lovely to see a ‘herd of reindeer’ galloping around the track throughout the day! As a community, we raised just over £350 to support the great work of this charity.
We have also worn our Odd Socks to raise awareness of Downs Syndrome and celebrating differences, we also raised nearly £400 for the charities supported by Comic Relief - helping those around the country whom we would never meet.
Values Awards - In the final celebration assembly of each term, we ask staff to select one child in each class for a ‘Values Award’. This is a very special award for a select few children who demonstrate our school values of Compassion, Friendship & Respect without fail. In recognition of their achievement, the children get a Values Award badge as well as a certificate, plus an afternoon activity treat.
Bramley Remembers - At the start of November, we support the British Legion Poppy Appeal by selling poppy items. As a school, we showed compassion and respect whilst reflecting on the meaning of the poppy and the importance of Remembrance. We gather as a school to have a special Remembrance Worship which includes readings by our older children. After our service, our Equality And Rights Advocates (EARA) visit St James Church to meet Reverend Mark and to lay a wreath on behalf of the school. It was a very poignant occasion.
Being a Church of England School
What is a Church of England School?
Church of England Schools are, in the main, community schools guided by Christian principles and serving the needs of the local area. As with all maintained schools in England they:
• Teach Religious Education in line with the locally agreed syllabus
• Hold acts of collective worship every day
The RE Syllabus
In Hampshire, RE is taught using Living Difference IV. This outlines the way in which children should learn about religions and world views. In all years, children are taught about celebrations and aspects of the Christian religion. Teaching of Christianity is deepened by using the resource 'Understanding Christianity'.
In KS1, children will also learn about celebrations and aspects of Judaism. In Lower KS2, children are taught about celebrations and aspects of Hinduism and in Upper KS2 the children will learn about celebrations and aspects of Islam and the Humanist world view.
If you wish to learn more about how RE is taught in school, you can access the Living Difference IV document below.
Collective Worship
It is a statutory requirement for all schools that an act of collective worship, broadly Christian in nature, is held each day. Worship is integral to the life and ethos of our church aided school and is led by staff with contributions from pupils and visitors to the school, including both Rev Mark Anderson (St James Church), Open the Book and clergy/youth workers from other local Christian congregations.
Our Collective Worship is carefully planned, with input from a variety of stakeholders, in order to ensure compliance with our trust deed and the SIAMS Evaluation Schedule. We also make explicit our links to St Mary's Church – our vicar visits regularly to lead worship as well as leading Eucharist services, end of term church visits, Pilgrimage day and the Leavers’ Service.
All parents have the right to withdraw their child from collective worship. The Headteacher will wish to discuss with parents, implications of accommodating the parent’s views on withdrawal. Our worship is inclusive, rooted in the Christian faith, but accessible to all members of the school community, whatever their religious background or stage of development.
Parents are welcome to attend termly year group Acts of Worship, end of term church visits and the Eucharist services.
The History of Bramley Church of England Primary School
Collective Worship
In 1811 the National Society of the Church of England set out to establish schools for children of every parish in the country. The schools were to educate the poor of the parish, and not specifically for Christian children. From the outset schools were to be both ‘distinctively Christian’ and inclusive of all members of the community.
Bramley Church of England Primary School was founded in 1849, and its Terms of Union with the National Society (displayed in full in the school entrance hall) state:
"The school aims to serve its community by providing education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice."
What is distinctive about Bramley Church of England Primary School?
Our school has Christian beliefs and values at its heart. This means that every child and adult associated with the school is considered important not only because they are members of the school but also because they are seen as unique individuals within God's creation.
Bramley Church of England Primary School welcomes everyone – Christian families, as well as families of all faiths and none. We seek to give all our pupils an opportunity to reflect on Christianity and other world faiths and to know what it is like to live in a faith community. We have strong links with St James’ Church, Bramley, and with Winchester Cathedral. We observe the major Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter by holding a school service led by our local clergy in the church itself, and we make sure that those of other faiths are able and encouraged to mark their major festivals too.
We recognise the spiritual aspects of life, and nurture these alongside children’s academic and emotional needs. Children are encouraged to discuss their views and to respect the views of others. We encourage challenge through questioning as through this we can make sense of the world, the gift of life and the purpose of our own personal lives.
As a pupil, parent, visitor or member of staff you should find that the way the school works is different and distinctive. That distinctive difference is rooted in our Christian values: love, respect and courage.
Please see the links below to visit our local Church and more information on being part of a Church of England school.
