Our Aims

These are the aims of our school:

• To create a happy, caring environment where each child can develop confidence, independence and self esteem.
• To establish good, sound academic standards through high expectation and a broad and balanced curriculum, enabling each child to attain his/her full potential.
• To promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, physical and creative development of each child and prepare each to take his/her place as a valuable member of a multicultural society.
• To foster a love of learning, a respect for each other and a pride in the school as a caring and supportive community.
• To develop all staff and provide ongoing training which will benefit teacher and child alike in our commitment to raising standards in all areas of school life.
• To assist each child to feel confident in a fast changing technological society.
• To develop a working partnership between home and school.
• To develop a sense of responsibility towards each other, the school and the community.
• To create an attractive, stimulating and comfortable environment where staff, children and parents enjoy working.
• To strive to improve and be the best in everything we do.

British Values

The government set out its definition of ‘British values’ in the ‘Prevent Strategy’ (2011). At St. Mark’s these values are regularly promoted through learning and teaching, a rounded programme of assemblies and a positive behaviour policy allowing pupils to develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain. These skills and attitudes also reflect our Catholic Social Teaching Principles.

The promotion of ‘British values’ is central to Catholic education because British values have their origin in the Christian values of our nation.

“We are proud that Catholic schools promote values that are both Catholic and British, including: respect for the individual, democracy, individual liberty, respect, tolerance and inclusiveness. Our schools promote cohesion by serving more ethnically diverse and poorer communities. Catholic schools provide high standards of education which are popular with parents from all social, economic and faith backgrounds.” Paul Barber (Catholic Education Service 15 December 2014).

At St. Mark’s we provide an education that focuses on the formation of the whole person and on our vocation and purpose in life. We are guided by our mission statement Proudly and Joyfully, we Love, Live and Learn as God’s children and by the Christian values of vocation and service, respect, compassion, co-operation and stewardship as we reflect on our place and purpose in the world.

We place a significant emphasis on the celebration of individuality and difference within our communities and our calling to work for the Common Good, in the service of others. Our Catholic ethos, which includes explicit reference to Christian and British values, makes a tangible difference to the way we work together and with our wider communities. Within this framework it would be impossible to overlook the government’s view of British values expressed as ‘democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs.’

The examples that follow are an indication of some of the many ways we seek to embed British values at St. Mark’s Catholic Primary School and should be seen as an indication of our approach rather than an exhaustive list.

At St. Mark’s we recognise, not only the importance of helping pupils to flourish academically but also spiritually, morally, socially and culturally, so that they are fully prepared for life in British society and for their role as citizens, able to make the strongest possible contribution to the Common Good of all. We teach the importance of British Values by going much deeper into the meaning of what it means to live a good life, within a framework of Catholic Christian Values. This provides the context and meaning for understanding why British values are important. Our framework for understanding British values draws on the example of Jesus and his welcome and inclusion of all, which is developed in Catholic Teaching.

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