The philosophy for learning at our school is summarised in our school vision statement…

‘We are building a loving and sustainable community of adventurous lead learners’

Central to this vision are four key dispositions that we aim to develop in our children within and beyond the classroom;

 being adventurous 

to have the courage and determination to explore their world; to be questful and discover and make meaning; to be creative and grow ideas; to take risks and have a go; to be philosophical and challenging; to be curious, ask questions and enquire; to be bothered

 being ethical

to consider what is right; to make considered choices; to help make a sustainable world by showing love and care for themselves, others and the environment; to respect and champion rights for all; to model good behaviour

 being connected

to be 'grounded' and secure in their place; to develop a good relationship with the world and its community both near and far; to develop and maintain good relationships with others; to be considerate, open and tolerant; to show care for our environment and realise the interdependent nature of communities

being unique

to 'shine' in their world; to be proud of who they are and their achievements; to want to know how to improve and grow; to lead the learning of others; to be successful, skilled learners; to be passionate

Our four key dispositions link to the Church of England's vision for education; educating for hope, community, wisdom and dignity.  

At St Vigor and St John School we believe learning is a collaborate activity. We aim to foster positive relationships with all members of our learning community; children, parents, staff, governors, the church, neighbours, local organisations, other professionals; we all have a role in supporting learning and well-being.

"He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge"

                                                                      Psalm 91

As a Church school, we make visible and promote a number of key values. These values help us to describe what we think is important in how we learn and live together. They form a focus in assemblies and collective worship, in personal and social education, in the wider curriculum, in our school rules and in the way we relate to each other. They are based on a set of values described by The Diocese of Bath and Wells and include; perseverance, love (agape), respect, forgiveness, friendship and peace. Each term we focus on one of these values, how we can follow them to improve life for everyone and how The Bible can be a source for learning about these values.

Theological Underpinning and Core Values

Psalm 91 underpins our Christian motto "He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge"

A refuge is a place of protection, a place of safety from a challenging world. This is our school and our churches. Psalm 91 conveys the message that if we live in God’s community we may be safe and protected. We endeavour to create a safe community for all people and therefore one in which we can all have the ambition to be #adventurous, #connected and #ethical, allowing all stakeholders to flourish as #unique individuals and global citizens. 

Our vision allows us to provide opportunities, both planned and unplanned, for children and adults to find the space for spirituality and wellbeing.

We’re really excited to be involved in the Archbishop's Young Leaders Award. For more information visit www.abyyt.com.  

The Young Leaders Award aims to equip young people to ‘be the change they want to see’ in their local communities, and through a number of interactive lessons and practical challenges our pupils will be involved in serving their community and making a difference. They will learn leadership skills such as: 

• Using their initiative

• Communication

• Teamwork

• Negotiation

• Planning

• Motivating & Encouraging

• Organisation

As part of the AYLA, our children were asked to ‘be the change’ in our school community. After a member of our community approached the school to complain about litter on the footpaths surrounding our playground and field, we knew exactly what we had to do! Our children went out and litter picked the areas surrounding the school. They then reflected on the tidiness of our school grounds and decided to litter pick on the playground in their own time and sorted through all of our lost property.

They were also tasked to make a difference to their wider community so we held an 'SVSJ Bake Off'. In their young leaders groups, the children decided on a recipe to bake, brought in their ingredients and then baked their cakes to be sold in a charity bake sale after school. We raised money for Swallow, a local charity. This was a charity chosen by the children because of its connections with the school. 
 

To contribute towards their award, the children were also encouraged to take part in volunteering activities outside of school too. Our children did multiple things for their community including: washing neighbours cars, walking neighbours dogs, putting bins out for neighbours, setting up chairs for events in the village hall, doing chores at home, donating clothes to a clothes bank, donating food to a food bank, gardening at school over the weekend, cooking dinner for their families, teaching siblings to ride bikes and read and litter picking.

Reflections from the children:

"I really enjoyed the bag making activity because I learnt a new skill and I learnt that in other places in the world, people aren't as fortunate as us." 

"The experience has been interesting because it taught us how to be independent leaders because we made decisions without adults telling us what to do."

"I enjoyed making cakes to sell for charity because it was fun to do the baking and I feel like I'm helping the charity to take care of people."