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Pupils having lunch
Drawing
Children in assembly
Reading a story

Our Vision and Ethos

We are a Church of England school with an inclusive, modern and vibrant vision, respecting all religions and world views.

Our core belief is that there are no limits to how highly our children can achieve. We aim to develop the whole child and offer every individual the  opportunity to discover their strengths, fulfill their potential and fly high like an eagle.

At St. John’s we believe the school experience for every child should be a rich and varied one. We embrace the concept of working together and recognising that one success builds on another, always encouraging forward momentum and fresh opportunities. We deliver a broad, cohesive curriculum, designed to meet all our children’s needs, with a strong emphasis on bringing learning to life through real life experiences.  We firmly believe that   learning should not simply be the narrow focus of achievement in tests, instead we strive for it to be purposeful, imaginative and designed to celebrate each and every individual success.

Through our holistic, child-centred approach to teaching, there is a shared commitment to develop our young people as lifelong learners and become the very best people they can. At St. John’s everyone can learn, have fun and feel safe and cared for, every day. We are a school with unbounded aspirations, a place where we challenge and inspire our children, nurturing them to become confident, independent  and resilient individuals.

Our Christian distinctiveness is embodied in the vision for our school;
‘Together, Fly High Like an Eagle’

Eagle logoOur school logo is the soaring eagle, symbolising the link with the Apostle, St. John the Evangelist, who gives his name to our school and represents our Christian heritage.

It is especially apt as the eagle is known for its grace, strength and powers of flight that take it soaring to new heights – ambitions that we have for everyone in our school community.

These ambitions are married in our vision which is taken from Isaiah 40:31 referencing trust in God to give us strength and determination in order to soar on wings like eagles.

SIAMS Report for St. John’s 2019

 

We believe education should be about the whole person, with a focus on providing children with experiences that allow them to develop the ability to reflect on themselves, others and the community they share.

As a Church of England school, our six Christian values, represented in the wings of the eagle, enable us to achieve our vision and are fundamental to all that we do;

Respect  ●  Friendship  ●  Positivity  ●  Equality  ●  Determination  ●  Collaboration

These values are explored and exemplified in bible stories and when followed enable our children to fly high like an eagle, providing them with the opportunities to live life in all its fullness. They are the very mechanism through which we achieve our vision, allowing us to work together and become the best people we can be. This vision is central to everything we do, is the basis for any plans we make and forms the bedrock of the whole school.

At St. John’s we follow a Christian ethos and a positive understanding of the beliefs and traditions of the Christian faith. We are also highly inclusive and acknowledge many of our children and their families come from a wide range of faiths and world views. We are open and welcoming to all and we recognise a variety of worldwide events and celebrations.

We have a close connection to our foundation church, All Saints Clifton and enjoy excellent links with many other local churches, organisations and global communities, such as Fingerprints of Uganda.

Services (assemblies) are held every day, giving our children valuable time to think, reflect and develop spiritually. We consider this fundamental to our well-being as we believe spiritual development is key in helping all children grow academically, but more importantly personally, so they become well-rounded young people, ready to soar high like an eagle and take their own special place in today’s society.

Exemplary

Our children feel secure and cared for in a nurturing, Christian school environment that gives them the confidence to thrive as an individual and the desire to care for others in their community.  Our children are a positive reflection of St. John’s values.

Ambition

Our children are stimulated and challenged to enable them to achieve and be the best they can.

Growth

Our children build resilience, independence and a positive understanding and motivation for healthy living. They are  well equipped to look after their mental health and develop their physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Learning

Our children develop the personal qualities, learning skills, attitudes and knowledge that enables them to achieve in their future education and beyond, while supporting and collaborating with others to do the same. Our pupils have a genuine desire for lifelong learning.

Exploration

We broaden each child’s horizons, so they begin to find their place in the world, supported by outstanding professionals and role models, both in the school and in wider Bristol.

Pupils chatting

Our Community

The safe, happy, caring environment we have created at St. John’s is the heart of the Eagle.

Each of our children is valued as an individual and every day we put them at the centre of all we do. We work to ensure everyone at St. John’s feels valued, confident and fulfilled and is sensitive to the needs of others. Our school is a rich community of parents, staff, children and families. A primary place for learning, that always involves a strong element of care, where children can thrive both academically and socially.

To help guide us, we have three simple school rules, represented in the tail feathers of the eagle;

  • We keep our hands and feet to ourselves
  • We respect the rights of all the children in the school
  • We follow all instructions from adults about the expectations of the school

Togetherness

We are exceptionally proud of the high standards of behaviour in our school and the sense of pride our children have in the community.

Wall of SuccessOur children are enthusiastic, polite, caring and eager to learn. We encourage self-respect and a respect for others, with visitors to the school often commenting on the friendliness and confidence of our children.

When joining our school, children are placed into one of four house teams and are rewarded with house points for demonstrating the school Christian values. Over the course of the year a range of house events are organised, involving small groups of children from across a different range of ages, all working together towards one common goal.

Specific praise and certificates are regularly awarded, and we showcase outstanding work efforts on our termly ‘Wall of Success’. Exemplary playground behaviour is recognised with a special invitation to afternoon tea with Mr Hoye -always a huge hit with the children!

Collaboration across year groups is important to us and a key differentiator of St. John’s, as we believe it to be of value to our children when developing their skills for later life.

During a child’s first year with us, they will have opportunities to work within their own class and two others, with considerable free flow within the classrooms and outside areas. This allows children to get to know other pupils across the whole year group, not just in their own class, and really supports the collaborative ethos and organisation further up the school.

St. John’s advocates mixed aged classes and during their time here, our younger children benefit from the support of the older pupils and our older children learn valuable life skills through mentoring the younger pupils. This organisation helps pupils to become adaptable and able to work with a variety of peers in different contexts – a valuable, transferable life skill.

In addition, many children develop a wide circle of friends, as they get to know those in the year group above and below them, as well as those in their own class and year group. We are proud to have created an environment where personal growth and development  has the same emphasis as academic achievement.

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