Our Vision and Values
St Luke’s Church of England Primary School
Theological Rooted Vision
John 13: 34-35 says: ‘Love one another. As I have loved you. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples.’ (NIV)
So at St Luke’s we aim to be disciples by: Following in God’s way, Learning day by day, Working with one another, Caring for each other.
Our School Vision Statement
St Luke’s is led by the
LOVE OF GOD
enveloping and guiding everyone within the school community; following the examples of the disciples by respecting each other, valuing one another and fulfilling our potential to ‘teach and learn without limits so that every child is ready, respectful and safe’.
By this, raising strong, spiritual capable leaders armed with life skills that will aid them for all that God has for them. Children that consume the values and follow in God’s love will embrace a love of lifelong learning, contribute collaboratively to society as effective citizens and establish a benevolent disposition.
An education that provides teaching and ‘learning without limits’ is promoted by love through our
Mission Statement
I am…
‘Following in God’s way,
Learning day by day,
Working with one another,
Caring for each other’
Ethos Statement
Recognising its historic foundation, St Luke’s Church of England Primary School will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church of England and in partnership with the Church at parish and diocesan level.
With our Christian beliefs and practices, the school aims to serve the community by providing an education of the highest quality. Faith is very important to the school and it endeavours to live out the Christian values in everyday lives.
St Luke’s Church of England Primary School is a voluntary aided school in the Diocese of Liverpool. We are a happy, caring school which celebrates and ensures that every child is valued as an individual. The partnership between home and school is vital in supporting children’s learning and we pride ourselves on being a listening school, which actively encourages parental and carer involvement.
Most of all, it is our children who make St. Luke’s a special place, and we are proud of all their achievements. We work hard to foster a secure and enjoyable environment which excites, challenges and motivates each child, enabling them to reach their full potential.
St. Luke’s is an inclusive community of children, staff, parents, governors, friends and colleagues. Everyone works together as a team to provide the best quality education for all children and to equip them with the confidence to embrace our ever-changing world.
The school is an embodiment of its namesake, St Luke’s. St Luke is the author not only of a gospel account about Jesus but also the book of Acts, which describes the growth of the Christian Church in the first century. According to the New Testament, he was a doctor (Colossians 4:14), who accompanied St Paul on some of his missionary journeys. Luke gives us an eyewitness account of Paul's adventures and in particular of the shipwreck that they experienced on their way to Rome. Luke writes his history of the life of Jesus and the Church to explain what happened to a Greek-speaking audience. His writing shows a particular concern for the status of women, the poor and outsiders in society. He demonstrated that the good news about Jesus is for everyone. It seems very likely that in his careful research Luke spent time with Mary the mother of Jesus who gave him information for the Christmas story recorded in the opening chapters of his gospel.
Biblical Roots
Why Are We Called to Love One Another?
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).
We are called to love one another in John 13:35. It reads “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
If we love one another we will follow God’s way, learn each day, work together and care for each other. By valuing and trusting each other we will never intentionally let each other down. Love allows us to be disciples and follow in God’s way. Caring and sharing while respecting each another only leads to a happy and just environment. Through our love and Christian Values, we promote a sense of calling and we use spirituality like an anchor because it gives us the courage to do what is right by others.
Core Christian Values
Love
John 13: 34-35 says: ‘Love one another. As I have loved you. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples.’
Hope
Jeremiah 29: 11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future’
Joy:
Romans 15: 13
‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’
Peace:
Colossians 3: 15
‘Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful’.
Class Christian Values
Reception Class
Friendship:
Proverbs 17: 17
‘A friend loves at all times’.
Year One
Compassion:
Peter 3: 8
‘Be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble’
Year Two
Forgiveness:
Ephesians 4: 32
‘Be kind and compassionate, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you’.
Year Three
Service:
John 2: 20
‘Whoever serves me must follow me and where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honour the one who serves me’.
Year Four
Trust:
Isaiah 26: 13-14
‘Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, God is an everlasting rock’.
Year Five
Justice:
Micah 6: 8
‘And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God’.
Year Six
Koinionia:
1 John 1: 7
‘But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another’.
Key Biblical Characters
Esther, ‘Following in God’s way’.
Esther risked her life to rescue God's people but Jesus gave up His life to rescue God's people. God keeps His promises. Esther trusted God to help her talk to the king. God used Esther to keep His people safe. Mordecai had not asked her to fast. But when Esther was free from the fear of death and became willing to obey, she stepped into the divine guidance for obedience. God gave her the mind to humble herself through fasting and prayer and thus found favour in the King's sight. Esther prepared in every way she could and then chose to have faith in God, trusting that even if she was unsuccessful—even if she was put to death—she was doing the right thing.
Noah ‘Learning day by day’.
God rewarded him for his righteousness and obedience, saving both him and his family from destruction. The story of the Flood also demonstrates both the gravity of God's justice and the promise of His salvation. Noah had to plan and prepare. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. Like Orpah says, success lies at the corner of Opportunity and Preparation. Noah had to stay fit. He was 600 years old when he built the Ark. One day someone may ask you to do something really big and you’ll need to be ready. Noah believed in what he was doing even when it seemed crazy to everyone else. Stick to your guns and get the job done, regardless of what others say. Noah had to learn how to build an Ark. He wasn’t a professional. Just because you don’t have all the experience in the world doesn’t mean you can’t do great things. And even if you have the experience, don’t think you know it all. Noah stayed positive during the down times. Nothing lasts forever. He paid attention and took the opportunity to prove his mettle.
Moses, ‘Working for one another’.
Moses was one of the Israel’s greatest leaders. He led a nation to freedom. At first, his tendency was to do everything for those he led. However, Jethro, his father-in-law, instructed him that, for the good of the people as well as the good of Moses, he needed to delegate some of his responsibilities.
Exodus 18 tells us:
When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone…Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”
Moses resisted the temptation to do it all himself. He asked for help, released the care of absolute control and endured the process. He started with the small stuff and worked his way to the harder things.
Ruth, ‘Caring for each other’.
Ruth was a loyal woman. See the way she cleaved to Naomi, her mother-in-law and gave us these famous lines: "Your people will be me people, and my God will be your God" (Ruth 1:16). A lot of people are not loyal to their everyday relationships. Some just do not know how to make a relationship work. In the story of Ruth and Naomi, we see Compassion, Acceptance, Kindness, and finally, Loyalty. Ruth demonstrates great loyalty when she says to Naomi, “Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Ruth shows her love by putting her mother-in-law's needs above her own. She searched for a way to support them both. She moves away from everything she knows, her family, her culture, her gods. She is not obligated to follow her mother-in-law, but she does. She chooses to care for Naomi and to take refuge under the wings of the God of Israel. She makes a completely selfless decision.
Summary
At St Luke’s we allow God to get involved in the training of our children! Here we are promised that He will direct us and that those we lead will live a life of peace!
It is easy to get caught up in the everyday things that must be done. However, we keep the main thing the main thing. We are called to train our children, not to get a list of menial projects done daily. When we refuse to delegate we hurt everyone involved. We hurt ourselves because we aren’t meant to bear all of that responsibility alone! We hurt our children because we teach them a sense of entitlement and keep them from learning necessary life skills. Training our children through these daily tasks can seem like an interruption, but the truth is that it achieves our most important role as a parent/teacher; raising strong, spiritual capable leaders armed with life skills that will aid them for all that God has for them. Children that consume the values and follow in God’s love will embrace a love of lifelong learning, contribute collaboratively to society as effective citizens and establish a benevolent disposition.