Justice and Responsibility

In our inclusive and nurturing Church of England Primary School, our theologically rooted Christian vision; “Your word is a lamp to guide me and light my path” (Psalms 119:105), shapes an active culture of justice and responsibility.

Our six Christian Values of kindness, trust, courage, confidence, wisdom and curiosity, enable a caring and spiritually supportive environment. Our children have a shared understanding of these and a sense of collaboration, belonging and recognition of self-worth through knowing their thoughts, feelings and opinions are valued.

By embedding our Christian values into daily school life, our curriculum and community engagement, we promote responsibility towards others and being able to stand up for things that we perceive as being wrong or injust.  

Our over-arching 4Rs, are the things that we wish to develop in all of children before they leave us; the main one being the forging of positive RELATIONSHIPS. Having a sense of belonging, feeling safe and secure and being a respected and valued member of our school community are all intrinsic to the harmony we create at St Nicholas School. We support all of our children in having a voice, being able to ask questions and debate well, sharing their own viewpoints and being active citizens.

Another of our 4Rs is RESPONSIBILITY. We encourage our children to take responsibility for their own actions, their learning and the world around them.

Christian teachings are woven into our school policies, Collective Worship, Religious Education, ‘the St Nicholas Way’ for Behaviour, Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) at breaktimes and daily classroom life; emphasising fairness, equality and responsibility to each other.

Our curriculum explores justice and responsibility and there are links to the British Values in supporting our children in understanding moral issues. See overview below.

Our daily acts of Collective Worship encourage reflection and time to know who we are. This time offers moments of stillness and thought, allowing all to connect with their beliefs, values and personal spirituality. Through our themes and values, we explore strong moral decisions and these guide our thoughts, feelings and actions not only throughout our days in school but beyond. This helps broaden ethical awareness and strengthens right from wrong.

Our children, families and Staff engage in charitable initiatives such as fund-raising for Macmillan, Children in Need and Save the Children. We also feel that it is important for our them to understand that there is disadvantage, need and the requirement for social action in our local community. We support local food banks (and our families in need) at Harvest, we raise funds for OPAL equipment at school and

In loving our neighbour, we foster a responsibility to look out for those in need (the lost, the least, the lonely) and through these actions we can show our thankfulness, as well as serve others.

justice and responsibility in action.pdf