Community and Living Well Together
We pride ourselves on our community relationships – Koinonia being a core value, means it is at the heart of our All Saints’ Family. School policies and the work we do with children prevents prejudicial behaviour, which is evidenced in low numbers of incidents being recorded. All here, are in equal, as in the eyes of God. The children understand the importance of inclusion, tolerance and forgiveness, as in the school’s vision. A highlight of our school’s calendar is ‘Community Week’, whereby we draw everyone together, celebrating and educating all in understanding how we all made in God’s image – unique, special and cherished by him.
Huge efforts are made to support the mental health of the children and there is a large pastoral support network allowing them to flourish. The school offers a whole class Jigsaw curriculum, SEAL, ELSA, learning mentoring and light touch approaches, for when children need to access support. Support is also provided for families who are experiencing difficulties, such as illness or bereavement. We have a supportive bereavement policy in place. Staff wellbeing is a whole school priority and we have a supportive Mental Health and Wellbeing policy in place. Our school is welcoming and we actively nurture the wellbeing of our staff – you only have to ask them! CPD and career development is of high priority.
Our school’s Positive Behaviour policy encourages children to live out our school values which ensures children are forgiving and talk freely about reconciliation; it is rooted in the values of our school and is reflected in the school’s mission statement: Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. The children are able to link behaviour choices, and lessons learnt, to the Christian Values and actions of Jesus and Bible stories. Behaviour in classrooms and in the playground is calm. ‘All work together to promote the school’s ethos of compassion, community and love.’ Ofsted 2019. Children enjoy coming to school and enjoy their learning. During Covid-19, the school liaised with families to allay any concerns they may have during the crisis. In all lessons, children feel inherently safe to take risks and be brave in their learning. They are happy to share their thoughts and feelings and have good relationships with staff and other pupils. They are proud to be All Saints’ pupils.
There are robust safeguarding practices in place to ensure that children feel safe at all times and that they know how to keep themselves and others safe. Children are empowered to make any concerns known to staff and the ethos of trust which pervades the school ensures that action is taken to resolve concerns appropriately. Staff wellbeing is acknowledged in the school’s latest Ofsted inspection, whereby they said: Leaders and governors are careful to ensure that teachers’ workload is manageable, and manage change carefully. Teachers appreciate this and staff morale is high as a result. Staff and children value times of reflection and it brings a sense of togetherness. There is a family atmosphere amongst the staff, children and parents and it is a happy place to be and to work; visitors remark on the distinctiveness of our school work.
Parish members visit the school often and are a great part of the community. Members of the Church support children’s reading, make visits to classes to support the curriculum and learning too. The PTFA is active and supportive of the school and its needs, such as raising money for the libraries, buying Bibles for the school. They offer additional community-based experiences, such as setting up the Church Hall as the children’s ‘Christmas Shop’ and the Autumn Fair. The PE curriculum supports the sense of community through team spirit and the children enjoy visiting other school and values in the locality.