Our Vision

Joy, hope and aspiration - life in all its fullness

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [John 10:10-11]

In John 10:11, Jesus describes Himself as "the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." We have taken part of our inspiration from Seaton St Paul’s Church stained-glass windows which include images of Christ with little children and Christ the Good Shepherd.

Here at Seaton St Paul’s CofE School, as a team, we aim to follow Jesus' example, making bold decisions, giving freely of our time and finding innovative ways to ensure that every member of our school community can flourish. Just as the good shepherd knows each of his sheep, we know each of our pupils and their families extremely well. We know that every pupil is potentially vulnerable. We prioritise individualised support for pupils and their families whenever they need it.

We understand "fullness" in the true sense of the word. We know our pupils can experience pain, fear and darkness which is why we provide a school environment and curriculum to bring them joy, hope and aspiration - life in all its fullness.

At Seaton St Paul’s C of E School, living our lives to the fullest means we have a healthy internal dialogue both emotionally and physically.  We are creating something richer, deeper, more meaningful and longer lasting so our children leave us with a wise and generous spirit; ready to fully engage with the wider world as global citizens and courageous advocates.

To ensure our children are living their lives to the fullest wherever possible, learning is grounded in real life experiences providing children with the opportunity to broaden their horizons.  This is achieved through outdoor learning and by embracing a variety of local community and school projects. 

We do this in many ways, one of which is through our ambitious and personalised curriculum which supports every child (particularly those who are most disadvantaged or who have additional needs) and encourages them to learn deeply.  We focus on developing the whole child, their skills, knowledge, attitudes and interests with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to be successful throughout their lives.

How we created our vision

In developing our vision, we considered The Church of England Vision for Education: Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good.

Our vision is for our children to experience "Joy, hope and aspiration - life in all its fullness".  This is based on John 10:10-11 when Jesus said "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full". 

We aspire for everyone in our school community to fill their lives with joy, hope and aspiration.  We want all in our community to flourish, and not just academically, as we understand that flourishing will mean different things to different people at different times. 

Our Aims

To achieve our vision, we aim to:-

• Keep it at the forefront of our minds, and in our hearts, in everything we do in school.
• Celebrate being a Church school and be proud of all that this means and brings, including being part of our Diocese and the wider Christian community.
• Deliver a rich curriculum that nurtures; provides real-life experiences; is rooted in the local area; creates links and builds on deep-seated learning.
• Nurture staff so that they can be the best they can be.
• Provide pastoral support for our children, parents, carers and families when they need it.

Our Values

The Children of Seaton St Paul’s C of E School were closely involved in deciding what values were important to them in order to bring joy, hope and aspiration to their lives.  We wanted our chosen values to reflect what we stand for and what we do every day in school underpinned by our Christian ethos and fundamental British values.  We also wanted these values to be accessible and meaningful for everyone in our school, from our youngest children to the oldest.

Our core values are: Respect, Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Friendship and Trust.

Our vision and values are at the heart of every decision we make, from senior leaders and governors to teachers and teaching assistants. They are not a ‘bolt on’; they form the way we live our lives each and every day.