At West Ham Church Primary School our vision and values are theologically grounded by the Bible text ‘With God, all things are possible’ (Matthew 19:26).
The school has a robust Christian ethos, while simultaeneously celebrating the diverse cultures and backgrounds of students, families and staff. It is important that school values align with our community. Annually, the staff will evaluate the suitability of the school’s vision and values. The school thrives by embracing a diverse range of major religions and worldviews, thereby necessitating the cultivation of inclusive values.
In 2020, the entire staff, along with parent volunteers and governors, collaborated to develop a new Christian vision and set of values for the school. This endeavour aimed to align with the Church of England’s National Vision for Education, while also staying faithful to the school’s initial mission of providing education to underprivileged children in Plaistow. The school council actively sought input from the students. The process of developing the vision and values involved the active participation of individuals representing diverse religious and non-religious backgrounds, including children, parents, staff and governors.
In April 2020, stakeholders recognised the presence of perceived barriers to aspiration within the school’s community. Acknowledging the significance of preventing these barriers from limiting achievement, and drawing inspiration from Jesus’ promise of a fulfilling life, the stakeholders collectively agreed upon the theological foundation of the school’s Christian vision: ‘With God, all things are possible.’ This fosters a sense of high expectations and aspirations within the entire school community, while emphasising the belief that all individuals have the potential to thrive:
Our vision is to enable children, with God’s guidance, to know and appreciate the wonder of God’s creation, to live in harmony embracing differences, to always act with compassion inspired by the example of Jesus, and to have the strength to follow their dreams and achieve their goals.
West Ham Church Primary School Vision Statement
The children and staff have engaged in discussions and examinations pertaining to the essence of each value within the Christian vision and values framework, with the aim of formulating a simplified sentence that encapsulate the meaning of each value in a language accessible to children (e.g., ‘Wonder – I am curious and appreciate the world’; ‘Harmony – I work and play in collaboration with others’; ‘Compassion – I am kind and empathetic’; ‘Strength – I am resilient and courageous’). This facilitates the acquisition of a rudimentary yet more profound comprehension of each individual value by the children, serving as a mechanism for children to engage in their spiritual growth, interconnected with each value and aligned with the values of the Church of England. This also facilitates the unification of students from various religious backgrounds, as well as those without religious beliefs with common values.
Working on our vision and values is an ongoing project!
Hasya Qureshi is an Assistant Headteacher and RE Lead at West Ham Church Primary School, East London.
‘WITH GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE’
MATTHEW 19:26
What does this mean to you? How do you put this into practice through your RE lessons? What questions do you have about this? What scriptures or stories do you know that support this? Does this align with your religion or worldview? If not, why not?
Through my research I have learnt that the phrase ‘With God all things are possible’ was applied to the issue of salvation within its original context.
Humanity is completely incapable of achieving salvation through personal effort – only God is capable of saving, because ‘all things are possible’ for God.
So what does mean for me? It means that I need to have humility, I must submit to God and the will of God, and I must put my trust in Him as without His support I am unable to do anything by myself.
Bersata
‘With God all things are possible’ means that no matter what lesson, no matter how hard it is, it is possible for me to succeed.
I know this because Musa (PBUH) was with God, and he did amazing things such as raising the Red Sea and turning his staff into a snake.
Although the ‘With God all things are possible’ is from the Bible it very much a verse with which I can connect.
The Holy Qur’an is God’s final book, revealed to His final prophet, Mohammad (PBUH). Every aspect of this world is mentioned in the Qur’an. Along with other verses about various aspects of life, God has revealed many verses about the Qur’an to describe its qualities and importance. I use it as a source of guidance and my values are taken from it.
Zak