School Ethos

Our Vision Statement:

'Our school is a caring, Christian Community, with Jesus Christ at the heart of every thing we do. It provides a safe, nurturing environment enabling all children to flourish, to be the best they can be, to value themselves and others and to live joyfully and in peace’

Our School Ethos

At Norton Free C of E Primary School, through our broad and balanced curriculum, our Christian ethos and our shared values, we encourage our children to be ‘Caring, Confident and Accomplishing’ individuals whilst preparing them spiritually, morally and culturally for a life in modern Britain. Building on the teachings in the Bible, we equip the children with the essential knowledge, wisdom, skills and behaviours needed for them to thrive both now and in the future. 

Caring
“The ultimate worth of each person is grounded in being created in the image of God and in God’s love and compassion for each.” 

Our key belief as a school, is that every child is an individual created in the image of God and unique in the eyes of God (Genesis 1:27). Our children know that everyone has the right to be themselves and we encourage respect and kindness towards one another. We believe the environment into which the seed falls is crucial for its flourishing (Mark 4:1-9). All our staff are committed to providing an environment where each pupils’ mental health and well-being are of the highest importance, allowing them to flourish and achieve throughout their time here. With high quality teaching and a curriculum that inspires children to be the best they can be, we firmly believe that ‘From little acorns mighty oaks grow’. We facilitate the growth of our children encouraging them to reach their full potential and to develop a love of learning that will follow them to adulthood. Through times of Collective Worship and classroom reflection, sharing and incorporating the whole school values, we learn to consider others and care for others in our community, for the wider world and the whole of Creation.

Confident
Let us be bold, then, and say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" Hebrews 13:6).

A strong Christian ethos teaches that the world is a good place in which we can confidently grow and flourish. This ethos permeates through day to day life in school and this provides the children with the safe, nurturing environment in which they can flourish. We develop and celebrate children’s personal and academic potential and our children learn to be determined, become resilient, respectful and considerate individuals who are ambitious, lifelong learners valuing themselves and others. We are aware that life throws up many challenges and set-backs but hold to the Church of England’s Vision, garnering hope from the story of salvation:
“Jesus and the love he embodies are at the heart of our faith, offering hope that wrongdoing and sin, suffering, evil and death are not the last word about reality.” 
We strive for our children to be resilient and forward looking, caring for others and recognising that Kindness and love are paramount. We also promote good health and physical fitness, respect, co-operation, perseverance and determination, self-belief, resilience and kindness towards others in a safe, calm environment. 

Accomplishing
“Those who become wise are happy; wisdom will give them life.” (Proverbs 3:18)

The Bible talks of wisdom as a gift from God and we are inspired by this notion as we share in the pursuit of the accomplishments of our children. The Bible teaches that wisdom becomes distilled over any centuries and includes the whole of our understanding of and relationship to creation, with guidance on “how to live before God in family, friendship, community and nation,” and we share the Church of England vision that: 
“That is the horizon for wise education. At its heart is a delight in wisdom and a passionate pursuit of it.” 
Wisdom is not just how clever someone is; it is about how we use our knowledge to make the right choices and decisions, being prepared to listen to the advice of others and thinking before you speak. 
We have designed our Curriculum to inspire our children to accomplishment in these areas, teaching in a cross-curricular way and delivering wisdom through engaging and fun filled topics that motivate the children.

Our children are the adults of the future and the magic of Norton Free will enable them to succeed in the future.
 

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) = Hazel Bell

Designated Safeguarding Deputy (DSD) = David Holland