Our Vision and Values 

Our Vision

In a creative, caring environment, we all support and challenge each other to develop confidence and independence. As active global citizens, we are inspired to discover and succeed in lifelong learning.

 Life in all its fullness John 10.10 

CHALLENGE   DISCOVER   SUCCEED

Our children challenge themselves to be the best that they can be and challenge everyone to make the world a better place; discover more every day about themselves and the world around them; experience and celebrate their own and other peoples’ successes. 

 Our Values

All of the work we do at Thorverton School is underpinned by our five School Christian Values of Love, Hope, Dignity, Wisdom and Community. We believe that these values help us all to grow together, becoming the best that we can be.

Exploring our Vision

Our school is part of the Exe Valley Federation which includes community and church schools. We have worked together to develop a shared vision and as a family of Church Schools within it we have drawn on the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 v 1 to 9 to support children's understanding of what it means to live life in all its fullness. This story reflects our rural context as village schools.

"At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In not time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories. "What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.

When anyone hears the news of the kingdom and doesn't take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person's heart. This is the seed the  the farmer scatters on the road. The cast in the gravel - this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it. The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it. The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News."

CHALLENGE

Just as a seed needs fertile ground to grow, we work with our community to create the right environment for children to flourish. We see this in the way we create a learning environment where every person is respected and valued with all their differences. We challenge ourselves to expand our horizons and to become responsible global stewards.

DISCOVER

We provide rich opportunities for everyone to discover their gifts and talents and their unique place within the world. We help each other to discover our potential, make wise choices and build resilience when facing struggles. We consider the needs of the whole child as he or she develops; emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

SUCCEED

Our aspiration is that we find joy in learning and build on our successes. We encourage everyone to recognise and celebrate their own and each other's efforts and achievements. We inspire each other to be courageous, to be the best we can and to face new challenges together.

Exploring our Values  - Love, Dignity, Community, Hope and Wisdom

Underpinning our vision, is the importance of love. We try to reflect Paul’s description of love in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7: ’Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not selfish, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in bad things but it rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.’

Love shapes who we are, how we relate to each other and how we learn together. Everyone in our community is valued, known and loved. Because of this love, we treat each other with dignity. We recognise the intrinsic worth of each other and talk kind with each other to encourage and build each other up. We take our inspiration from the way that Jesus cared for people on the edges of society and how his interactions changed their lives.

Being part of a loving, learning community, we understand that when we work well together we can achieve more than when we work alone. Building strong community is the foundation of who we are, recognising and valuing each other’s’ strengths and talents. We draw inspiration from 1 Corinthians 12, recognising that we are a body of different parts of equal value, as well as Paul’s exultation to the Thessalonians to ‘encourage one another and build each other up.’

In any dynamic community, things do not always go well but we recognise that failure does not need to have the last word. As a church school we value the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation and want to support children realise their full potential, broaden their horizons and have hope for the future. We draw inspiration from Jeremiah 29:11 which reminds us that God has plans for each of us to prosper us and give us hope for a future.

Finally, we want our children to be life-long learners, to build strong foundations and to grow in wisdom. This includes knowing how to apply the things they know and creating their own ethical and moral compass. It also includes knowing how to discern which “voices” to listen to and where to draw inspiration. As a school community, we draw our inspiration from Galatians 5, where we are told the fruits of living God’s way are joy, peace, patience, perseverance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.