Christian Distinctiveness
VISION
Our small church school seeks to build a community in which each person is confident in themselves and others, so that we can grow and flourish together. Through inclusive and inspiring education, we will support each person to act with dignity, develop their full potential and respond to challenges with resilience. We look to scripture for inspiration, and find many faithful heroes and heroines who achieved God’s will through courage, wisdom and hope.
Offering hope, building confidence, developing resilience.
Created by Millie Tobin Year 5 2023
Our Christian Values
Wisdom, Hope, Dignity, Respect, Peace & Friendship
Created by India Garton Year 2023
RE INTENT
To inspire religious literacy in pupils; developing an understanding of how people of faith live, think and express their beliefs.
At Great Ponton CE School we believe in adding a spiritual dimension to our children’s lives. We aim to serve our community by providing education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice.
We offer a distinctive Christian character through the following:
The quality of our Religious Education:
- We place RE in high regard in our curriculum
- We teach our children to have an understanding of and sensitivity towards those of other faiths and those of no faith
- Through RE and the study of and from religion, we teach our children to tolerate differences and respect belief and custom; thereby promoting fundamental British values.
Valued Collective Worship (CW):
- We seek to bring awe and wonder to our children through drawing spiritual parallels into their daily lives
- We follow the liturgical Church year and celebrate Christian festivals in our beautiful village church
A deep and cherished ethos:
- We provide a place of safety and reflection for our children who are given space and time to evaluate their developing lives
- We include our community as part of our provision including CW, experts in real projects, parent helpers and have firm links with the diocese who help us train and guide our governors and school leaders
- We have visible Christian signs and symbols around our school to remind us that we do God’s work
Courageous Advocacy
“Love your neighbour as yourself” Mark 12: 29-31
We are courageous advocates for the common good, locally, nationally and globally. We recognise that life is full of ups and downs and that at times all people will face challenges that they need help and support in overcoming. We believe that people are worth spending time with, that people need time to grow and need loving attention. The Christian Gospel says that every person has a unique task to do, with God, and for God, whether they know it or not. We hold and courageously advocate the conviction that there is something mysterious, and potentially wonderful, in everybody.
We support a range of charities in our local area, nationally and globally. The school council work with staff, governors, parents, pupils and Holy Cross Church to identify worthy causes to support.
Our school stands up for what we believe. We have met with Local Councillors to raise issues of significance to the school community, including road safety around our school and the proposed chicken farm application.
Our Christian values ensure that opportunities to discuss the big issues, to challenge injustice and to engage in activities that can bring about change are always present.
In recent years we have carried out a range of different fund raising to support many good causes, some of which include:
The Children's Society (an annually supported charity as part of our Christingle celebrations with Holy Cross Church);
Sports Relief;
NSPCC;
Comic Relief;
Children in Need;
Macmillan;
Rotary Club
The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal
Grantham Foodbank.
Our children have a good grasp on the meaning of belonging to a local and global community and the sense of responsibility that comes with belonging. Thereby developing their ability to empathise and make a small sacrifice to benefit others. Together we consider the beauty and fragility of our environment, the actions we take, and the impact these actions may have on the well-being of everyone. Our school community and curriculum actively embraces a responsibility for the world in which we live. We are diligent to show our connection with, and care for, the world in which we all live and care for the people who live in it.
Bishops Christmas Letter
As you may know, each year the Bishop writes a Christmas letter for schools that we or Reverend Neil read out. This year Bishop Nicholas has kindly filmed the letter for you to play at our school. Please click the link below to view.