School Vision & Ethos

Strategic Vision

The vision at The Catholic School of Saint Gregory The Great is that we continue to build upon our strengths and to further improve pupil experiences and achievement through our positive ethos; effective leadership at all levels; committed teachers with an agreed vision for the school; realistically challenging expectations of behaviour and attainment; high quality learning and teaching; a clear focus on the learning experiences of the pupils and the standards which they attain; a well-developed system for monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision; a culture of continuous improvement through effective self-evaluation and staff who update their professional expertise through well-focused staff development.

Our Catholic Ethos and British Values

This is a Catholic school which seeks for our children to live out the values of Jesus Christ. We promote these values by our words and deeds, and Catholic doctrine and practice therefore permeates every aspect of the school’s activity. We provide a Catholic curriculum, which is broad and balanced, recognising that every pupil is unique and is created in the image of God (Gen 1:27). Our curriculum is designed to enable every pupil to discern their vocation and to be well-equipped to follow it as active citizens in service to the world. Catholic Religious Education is the “core of the core curriculum” (Pope St John Paul II) 4 and the foundation of the entire educational process. We also provide a wide range of extra-curricular activities and strong pastoral support. We incorporate democratic principles, value the rule of law, support individual liberty and foster a community in which different faiths and beliefs are respected.

Values

Our values apply to everyone in the school community and they inform the way we act, what we do and how we achieve our goals. We have pride in making a difference; we continually seek to improve; we take responsibility for what we do; we value our differences; we support one another and we celebrate achievement.

We are striving to ensure that as a school we:

• are a stimulating professional learning community where initiative, co-operation and participation by staff in the establishment and maintenance of appropriate school policies and national standards awards are valued and encouraged

• have high achieving, well motivated pupils who have ownership of the learning process and are supported spiritually, emotionally and educationally, thus ensuring that the Every Child Matters Agenda is embedded in school life. This will incorporate the latest initiatives to support the evaluation and analysis of pupil achievement, provide evidence and challenge pupils learning as well as developing the pupils’ autonomy through the School Council

• are high achieving, well motivated staff working as a team to develop the whole school leadership process. This will incorporate sharing of good practice, peer lesson observations and individual action plans for each teacher

• have supportive, informed parents who understand the importance of their roles in supporting the achievement and maintenance of high standards

• are a supportive, informed Board of Governors who have an active role in monitoring and who are critical friends, helping to move the school forward

• are a joint parish and school community where each is supportive of the other to ensure the pupils receive a full Catholic education

• have good links with the wider community

• have openness so that staff, pupils and parents can ask for help, support and advice, without fear or prejudice

Ethos

This ethos is reflected in the climate and every day school life and through the school’s broad, balanced creative curriculum; the equal opportunities offered to all pupils and the way everyone at the school is taught to treat each other through the What if? and Values based objectives, Circle Time, Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) project work and Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) which now includes work on mental health and wellbeing.

The Catholic School of Saint Gregory The Great supports children with emotional, social and behavioural needs to enable them to remain or reintegrate into mainstream education through an excellent pastoral programme. We place great emphasis on providing the best possible learning environment so as to ensure that all children see themselves as pupils who can achieve and be successful. It is of paramount importance to us that there is a positive ethos in school where success through effort is celebrated and where children who need support and encouragement can access it.

We promote that every child matters through a variety of initiatives and have achieved the Healthy Schools Award. We have also been awarded the Active Sports Mark, the bronze award for sustainable travel and the Intermediate Award for our International work.