Christian Distinctiveness
Church schools begin from the belief that 'every child is loved by God’ Justin Cantuar (Valuing all God’s children guidance for CofE schools 2014) and therefore ‘The core purpose of any Church school is to maximise the learning potential of every pupil within the love of God’ SIAMS 2012.
At Deddington CE Primary School we recognise that individuals are unique and that the school has a mission to help each pupil to fulfil their potential in all aspects of their personhood: physically, academically, socially, morally and spiritually. We want all pupils to seek to engage in learning in a safe, welcoming Christian ethos. All members of our school community are valued and respected, so that everyone can have a positive attitude to themselves, others and life.
Our school’s Christian character contributes significantly to the academic achievement, personal development and wellbeing of all learners. Although we are a Church school, we are inclusive to all members of the community we serve. Our aim is that pupils from all faiths and those without a faith feel safe and happy, secure in the knowledge that their beliefs are respected and valued.
The Christian character is evident in the strong sense of respect existing between staff and pupils, who are proud to be a part of the Deddington school community. It is our vision that: ‘Through inspirational teaching, all our children have the confidence to achieve success in a safe and healthy school with Christian values at its core.’
As a Church school we believe each person can strive to reflect the love of God, demonstrate love of life and love of learning in all that we do. At Deddington Primary school we believe in the concept of lifelong learning where both adults and children learn new things every day. We maintain that learning should be engaging and inclusive and an enjoyable experience for everyone; it should be fun. Through our teaching we equip children with the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to be able to make informed choices about the important things in their current and future lives. We believe that appropriate teaching and learning experiences help children to lead happy and rewarding lives.
We endeavour to build our school on the core Christian values of: Perseverance, Respect, Honesty, Kindness, Faith, Friendship, Forgiveness and Responsibility; these values permeate throughout all areas of school life.
As a Church school we are regularly inspected through the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS); our last full inspection stated: ‘The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Deddington as a Church of England school are good. This is a good church school where the whole school and church community work closely together. All children are encouraged to achieve their full potential within a supportive Christian framework, regardless of their faith or background. The levels of attainment are good. Pupils and parents recognise and appreciate the strong sense of community in the school, which has the teaching of Jesus at its heart, and where Christian values make a difference.’ SIAMS April 2013