Values and Ethos
Our school motto is: Believe & Achieve, and this encompasses all that we do at the school.
At Thorndon School our vision is that each child and adult in the school should ‘believe and achieve’. Everyone should believe in themselves and in each other to inspire confidence and curiosity about the world around them. Such belief enables everyone to achieve and be successful in a wide range of aspects. These include, but are not limited to: academic, sporting, musical, dramatic, social, emotional, cultural and spiritual achievements. Our vision is underpinned by a verse from the Old Testament “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” (Jeremiah 29, v11). This teaches the important of hope and belief on achievement and the future. We teach our children of God’s love for them and his compassion towards us. We encourage the children to demonstrate such compassion in their day-to-day lives. These beliefs underpin our curriculum and pedagogy at Thorndon. We fully adhere to The Church of England Vision for Education that “joy in learning is a mark of the good teacher and the well-taught pupil…and any education that does not communicate joy, wonder, amazement, fascination and delight has failed.’ (p12) Our curriculum is based on a number of elements. The foundations are laid on providing children with the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge which will equip them well for a world we in 2020 cannot imagine. It is our responsibility to develop curious, industrious and creative learners. Learners who have skills to problem solve and prove their resilience. Our curriculum is based on four main elements. We educate for:
Integrated to this are our Thorndon rainbow values, which, in turn, are fully linked to the Church of England Values for Life. These values are taught through assemblies and acts of collective worship. We share and discuss moral dilemma stories. |
Thorndon Rainbow Value |
Church Value for Life |
Curriculum Element |
Responsibility |
Trust Responsibility |
Community and living well together |
Perseverance |
Courage Perseverance |
Hope and Aspiration
Wisdom, knowledge and skills |
Co-operation |
Service |
Wisdom, knowledge and skills |
Kindness |
Generosity Compassion |
Community and living well together |
Honesty |
Truthfulness Forgiveness |
Community and living well together |
Friendship |
Friendship |
Community and living well together |
Respect |
Reverence/Respect |
Dignity and Respect |
British Values
We understand core British Values as: As a Church of England School we teach these values and the Christian ideas underpin our ethos. We encourage tolerance and value everyone. Children are rewarded for effort, kindness and thoughtfulness. We work closely with the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and our school is regularly inspected by the National Society of Anglican and Methodist Schools.
Democracy
Rule of Law
Individual Liberty
Mutual respect and tolerance towards those of different faiths and cultures
During assemblies, teachers remind children about managing their behaviour and the importance of school rules. Furthermore, they are taught to believe in themselves and pursue excellence through hard work, within a climate of high expectations and support. At Thorndon, our pupils benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum which contain units of work which are underpinned by British values and British culture.
At Thorndon values of tolerance and respect permeate all areas of school life. This engenders a climate within which pupils feel safe and secure and facilitates the fulfilment of potential. Pupil voice plays an integral part in driving the school forward and school rules at different levels are seen as the foundation upon which this can be achieved.
Our PSHE and RE Curricula encourages respect and appreciation of everyone and their individual beliefs and values.
