St Martin's C of E
Primary School, Dorking
Vision and Values
St Martin's Ethos
We are a Church school and enjoy close links with the community of St. Martin’s Church (CofE / Methodist) sharing an understanding of Christian beliefs and practices. St Martin’s is an inclusive school, educating children in an environment that sees the value of diversity and offers support for all pupils whilst actively promoting British Values. It is open to all those children who meet the entry criteria, set by the local education authority. We recognise and celebrate differences between people; we welcome those of any religious belief or none. At St Martin's we have a values-led curriculum. This means that we use a specific set of values in our teaching and as a way to reinforce positive behaviour at school and in later life. We base these values on those established by the Church of England, which we believe are the basis for good citizenship and a fair, inclusive society.
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Unlocking potential is our goal. Inside every child there are talents. These we seek to nurture to ensure that each child knows what success feels like and the confidence that it brings. We will work in partnership with you to ensure that your child aims to be the best that they can be.
Our value for the month of April is Resilience.
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Resilience means perseverance, no matter what difficulties you face ‘just keep on trying’.
St Martin’s C of E Primary School Vision
Inspiring children to be the best they can be in their learning and within their local and global communities, by valuing and nurturing individual talents, enabling every member of our school community to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to flourish and become the person they are called to be.
The principles underpinning this vision
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The Governing Body of St Martin’s School believes that when a clear Christian vision plays a high-profile part in the life of a school, it can transform lives. Our values* are founded on Biblical principles and set within a Christian framework.
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We are committed to ensuring that our school is inclusive and continues to serve the local community, as it was first established in 1861 and we believe that this should be expressed in terms of a modern-day vision.
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We are committed to building a strong relationship with our local churches, to ensure greater knowledge and understanding of faiths other than Christianity and to understand Christianity as a global, multi-cultural faith.
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This vision reflects our Christian understanding of God the Father, who wants us to look after the world that he has created and to see it flourish for the benefit of all and for future generations.
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Pupils’ character development is a high priority for us, and this will be enhanced by the culture of the school and our determination to lead with a set of clear Christian values.
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Our curriculum will be rich, broad, creative and aspirational.
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Our vision reflects our Christian understanding of God the Son, Jesus Christ, whose teaching, actions and gift of himself offer us the example of Christian living which shapes our lives as individuals and as a community. Our community will be one where pupils and adults are treated with dignity, respect, compassion, equity, understanding, forgiveness and love.
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Our pupils and staff will feel that they belong at St Martin’s School, and they will be valued for who they are. Following the example set by St Martin himself, our Christian vision will find living expression in our prayers, our attention to health of mind, body and spirit, our shared community life of mutual support, our care for those who are less advantaged, and our outreach to those in need who are both near to us and far away.
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Collective Worship and Religious Education will be strong features of our school and we are committed to ensure a sense of spirituality.
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This vision reflects our Christian understanding of God the Holy Spirit, who encourages and empowers us to use our gifts and become what we are called to be: for His sake, for our own well-being and for the benefit of others. We are committed to encouraging our pupils and staff to look at the ‘bigger picture’ and to follow a calling: to be a prophetic voice in society.
We have adopted the Surrey agreed syllabus for Religious Education, dated 2017-22.
*Values: Cycle A: Belonging, Friendship, Freedom, Peace, Confidence, Honesty, Respect, Patience, Co-operation, Tolerance and Responsibility.
Cycle B: Belonging, Caring, Courage, Love, Forgiveness, Trust, Loyalty, Resilience, Joy, Compassion and Hope.
Reviewed and further developed at St Martin’s Full Governing Body meeting 7/12/22