Aims and Values

Mission Statement

At Saint Chad’s we are part of God’s family:
We learn from Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels.
We love Jesus and love each other with all our hearts.
We show kindness to everyone just like Jesus did.

Our Slogan

“Christ in our heads, our hearts and our hands”

Catholic Ethos

The school was founded by and is part of the Catholic Church. The school is to be conducted as a Catholic school in accordance with canon law and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and in accordance with the Trust Deeds of the Archdiocese of Birmingham and in particular:

• Religious education is to be in accordance with the teachings, doctrines, discipline and general and particular norms of the Catholic Church.
• Worship is to be in accordance with the rites, practices, discipline and liturgical norms of the Catholic Church.

And at all times the school is to serve as a witness to the Catholic faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our School Values

Our values are also the names of our school teams (houses):

• Respect - Respect for others, respect for the school building, respect for the values and beliefs of others, respect for ourselves, respect for our Catholic community, respect for other religions, countries and cultures.
• Forgiveness - Following Jesus’ teachings by seeking to reconcile our differences, by saying sorry and by forgiving others and giving opportunities to make things better.
• Truth - Knowing that telling the truth and being honest is always the right way.
• Kindness - Trying our best to show kindness to others in all that we say and do, having kind hands and kind words for everyone – even those we find it hard to get on with sometimes.
• Equality - Every human being is equal and valuable and loved by God. Everyone in our school is equal, unique and special and we treat everyone fairly. Everyone is equally special regardless of their gender, religion, ethnicity or cultural background.

Also see: Protected Characteristics

British Values

Our school is committed to actively promoting British values to ensure that our pupils leave school fully prepared for life in modern Britain.

The government emphasises that all schools should ensure that they teach pupils about British values of:

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

We take every opportunity to promote these values, and to ensure our pupils:

• Understand the democratic process and how citizens can have a say in decision making.
• Recognise the advantages of living under the rule of law and how law is essential for a safe society.
• Understand that there is a separation of power between the executive and the judiciary and why it exists.
• Understand that the freedom to hold varying faiths and beliefs, including no religious faith, is protected in law, and that it is vital to accept people who have different faiths and beliefs without discriminating against them in any way.
• Value the importance of identifying and combatting extremism.

We promote British values both within and beyond the classroom and these values are at the heart of our ethos. Here are just some of the ways our school seeks to embed the teaching of British values.

Democracy

St Chad’s is proud to support children understand and live out democracy in daily school live.

At the start of the school year, pupils have a democratic vote in voting for roles and responsibilities. Throughout the day, pupils are asked to make choices in deciding on aspects of the curriculum and what and how they learn.

We invite local councillors and MPs into school to explain how democracy works within the community and at a national level.

Rule of Law

At St Chad’s pupils were able to support the creation of the ‘St Chad’s Way’ where rules were established in order to ensure school is a safe environment where all pupils and adults work together consistently to follow and establish rules and boundaries.

Pupils hold roles and responsibilities so that they have a voice and are able to implement their ideas to support each other.

At the start of each school year, classes set their own rules and expectations for the class so that they have a calm and effective learning environment.

Individual Liberty

Through Pupil Council, pupils are able to have a say in what they would like to see in school. They bring new ideas to the school; they have choices in their school day; they are able to be effective citizens within school.

Every pupil has a role or responsibility so together they are forming and shaping the running of the school day. They make rules and ensure that all pupils are supporting their vision for St Chad’s, Year 6 prefects take on additional responsibilities to ensure that all visitors are welcomed to school and are also aware of the vision of St Chad’s.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance

Pupils are taught respect and tolerance in all areas of the school day and curriculum. We welcome visitors of other faiths and beliefs to talk to pupils about their beliefs so that we have well-informed and socially aware pupils who can leave St Chad’s with a good understanding of how to be a good citizen.

Pupils experience visits to places of different faiths and beliefs. At the end of the visits, a showcase assembly is held to inform whole school of their new learning.

Through RSE, pupils are taught the awareness of how to keep safe in school, online, within the community and radicalisation and how to keep themselves. They have a number of adults within school where they can share their concerns and report their concerns.