Christian Distinctiveness

Our school vision, which is threaded through all aspects of school life, is:

With God's love, we can fly.

We aim high and embrace life in all its fullness.

"Those who trust in the Lord, will soar high on wings like eagles."- Isaiah 40:31

As a Church school, we hold Christian Values at the heart of everything we do resulting in pupils that develop strong moral values, preparing them to become responsible citizens. We aim for all children to experience God’s love in order to be able to live life in all its fullness.

Theological Underpinning of our Vision-

Our Christian Vision drives the work that we do at the school and forms the ‘heartbeat’ of our community. We are passionate in ensuring education- access for all; being inclusive in our approach to educational support and delivery within the community that we serve. This not only includes our pupils but also our staff and families. The whole school community live and breathe our vision and values. Isaiah 40:31 contains a great promise of strength. We work with our children on developing and building up strength in the face of adversity and we provide them with the tools to build resilience in their approach to not only school, but all aspects of life. Within this bible reading, the Israelites who first received this promise were worn out from their hardship, having lived in exile in Babylon for several decades and their perspective was darkened by despairing thoughts: “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God” (Isaiah. 40:27). They thought God either couldn’t help or didn’t care. Even though this vision has been part and parcel of the school for a long time now and the school has been here in Huxley, as a village school for 170 years, the vision remains the same.

The reason I kept the same vision for our school is that I felt it now it has an even greater significance and relevance with the community that we currently serve. It has taken on a different perspective. Isaiah uses the words ‘faint’ and ‘weary’. The Israelites were exhausted and burdened from the circumstances of life. They weren’t just weak in body, but weak in spirit. This is of particular relevance to the children and families we serve. Many of our children and families were at this point when they started with us. At a point at which they felt ‘weary’; they felt that they needed direction within their child’s education and whether they are practising Christians or not, the guidance and support was so desperately needed for so many. Some parents had become disillusioned by the education system, others felt that they had been let down.

Our parents feel so strongly about the need for a ‘different’ educational approach for their children- Parental feedback illustrates this well- ‘Their level of understanding of all aspects of mental health is what initially prompted the move, however they became so much more. They promote individualism and encourage children to be their authentic selves whilst having high expectations of them too. All children feel safe, seen, heard and respected at Huxley. I believe it is this nurturing environment that allows our children to reach their potential. ‘I can’t tell you what a relief it is to finally see my child excited about school again’. ‘You have transformed my child’s educational experience. Thank you so much’ These few examples alone illustrate the strength of feeling behind the motives of our parents to enrol their children at Huxley. We also believe our vision is very fitting for our children who needed (and continue to need) so much emotional support and guidance on starting with us.

Isaiah 40:30 states “even youths shall faint and be weary; and young men shall fall exhausted”. Outlining that even people in their ‘prime’ and in perfect health, can grow weary and will have limits. Whether they were children where needs were not being met and they were at risk of Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) or they were children who had never been in a place of formal education before, they needed support, nurture and guidance to help build strength to ‘aim high’ and resilience to ‘fly’ and achieve, enabling our children to be the best they can be and ‘embrace life in all its fullness’. We have many children who have experienced trauma or school anxiety. They need constant reassurance that as a school community we care and understand them. In our recent pupil survey 100% of our children felt safe in school and 93% said they felt ‘understood’ at Huxley. As a staff, we now also see a renewed strength, as a school with our new approach, we feel that it is almost like a new school and we are excited about the new direction the school is moving in. We are proud to serve the community that we now have. One, as mentioned earlier, of children who otherwise may not be in formal education. Isaiah continues to respond and explain the strength of God- You may grow faint, but God doesn’t. God is an endless source of strength, and he gives it generously’ “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29) God is not too great to care, he’s too great not to care. This reflects our service to our school community, we care as He did. We support our families as we believe God would want us to.

Church of England

Our vision and values are aligned with the Church of England’s vision for education:

I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness.

John 10:10

• Educating for wisdom, knowledge and skills: enabling discipline, confidence and delight in seeking wisdom and knowledge, and developing talents in all areas of life.

• Educating for hope and aspiration: enabling healing, repair and renewal, coping wisely when things go wrong, opening horizons and guiding people into ways of fulfilling them.

• Educating for community and living well together: a core focus on relationships, participation in communities and the qualities of character that enable people to flourish together.

• Educating for dignity and respect: the basic principle of respect for the value and preciousness of each person, treating each person as a unique individual of inherent worth.

CDAT

CDAT was established by the Chester Diocesan Board of Education in 2014. Since their inception, they have developed their vision to build thriving learning communities that provide everyone with the opportunity to achieve the very best with their gifts and abilities.

CDAT is a fully inclusive trust. Their vision and ethos are firmly rooted in clear, core Christian values, but we happily to work with both church and community schools, and our schools welcome people of all faiths and none. CDAT offers an educational experience that is rooted in faith, hope and love. They support their schools to ensure that their vision permeates all aspects of school life.

Children are at the heart of CDAT. They want each individual to develop knowledge, skills, understanding and wisdom, underpinned by values based on principles that are important to people of all faiths and no faith.

‘Jesus said, ‘I have come in order that you might have life, life in all its fullness.’

(John 10:10)

CDAT wants every child to experience ‘life in all its fullness’: to have outstanding learning opportunities; opportunities to act, sing, dance, play sport and be artistic; opportunities to make lifelong friendships, help those in need and become full and rounded individuals; opportunities to develop and pursue ambitions. In short, they want the very best for all of our children.