MISSION  STATEMENT

I HAVE COME SO THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL

(John 10:10)

Our mission at St. Clare's School is to provide an education which has at its centre the values and ideals of the teachings of Jesus Christ,  according to the traditions and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church.

Our mission is to create within this school a Christian community living together in a happy, welcoming environment in peace, justice and love, valuing the dignity of the individual and actively respecting cultural strengths and differences.

We acknowledge that each school is a unique community within the wider community it serves.  Our staff will strive to build caring and supportive partnerships between the school, the home, the parish and the wider community.

Our distinctive nature will be evident by the quality of our welcome, prayer and celebration and by the way we show our love for God and our neighbour.  We will strive to do this through the justice, respect, equality and forgiveness which we extend to all who are part of our school lives and also to those who touch our lives when we are out of school.

Our curriculum will endeavour to prepare pupils for the experiences, opportunities and responsibilities of adult life by giving the highest priority to numeracy, literacy and oracy together with the social, emotional and physical skills which will give them the    confidence to value their contribution to society.

Our witness to this vision will be seen through our commitment to the Gospel values of:-

• Prayer and Worship.
• Love, Sharing and Joy.
• Justice, Peace and Forgiveness.
• Care and Welcome
• Evangelisation. 

R.E,  PRAYER and  WORSHIP 

We aim to foster in children spiritual growth relevant to their own needs and understanding and to offer prayer, worship and liturgy which will enable children to develop their understanding of the Catholic faith and to experience and witness faith in their daily lives

R.E.    We  work within the "Way, Truth and Life" scheme to deliver a planned and developmental programme which has, through         long and medium term planning, learning objectives and areas for assessment.

PRAYER.     Through the value that all our staff place on prayer as an integral part of our daily lives in school, we help children to internalise the importance of prayer in their lives.  Children will have experience of :-

 Prayers of:                    thanksgiving - praise - petition - supplication

Prayer that  may be:      silent - formal - private - class - school

Prayer that may be for:  ourselves -families - friends - community - those in need.

Prayer that may:            have a focal point - with eyes closed.

WORSHIP    Our praise of God and all His works will be offered through Mass, and through other forms of collective worship.

Masses are mostly celebrated in Church. For our feast day, Mass will be celebrated in school with families and parish. 

*Children are encouraged to be involved in the preparation and presentation of readings, prayers and hymns (and to serve on the altar)

*It is not the policy of this school only to choose those 'who can'. All children are encouraged to participate and to offer their very best.

*Non-Catholic children are invited and encouraged to take an active part.

Acts of Collective Worship are times when as a whole school or Key Stage or class group meet to praise God with prayer, readings and/or song.

All children will experience some form of collective worship each day. 

JUSTICE , PEACE  and FORGIVENESS

We will strive to encourage and foster good and honest relationships within school.  It is by understanding our own feelings and emotions that we can empathise with others.  It is by understanding that we live alongside others that we can appreciate the need to be considerate and thoughtful of those who share our lives and to understand the rationale behind the need for rules which are just and fair.

JUSTICE   Children must be led towards an understanding that they have a choice in all that they do and must accept consequences as part of their choice.

School rules must be seen to be fair and relevant and must apply to everyone equally.

Consequences of breaking rules must be known and understood.

Children must be re-affirmed as soon as possible after the punishment is finished.

Children should be led to an understanding of the feelings of oppressed groups and not isolate themselves from situations where there is injustice.

Staff must always take into account the social and emotional state of the child.  This does not affect the consequences of behaviour but does affect the way staff relate to the child after the incident.

PEACE   It must begin with co-operation, tolerance and friendly relationships between the adults who work within the school.

Their example will be seen and internalised by children and will be the best example they could witness.

Children should be guided towards:-

• playing peaceably,
• sharing - possessions, news, events, experiences,
• co-operating and compromising,
• tolerance of those who are not our friends,
• empathising with others,
• forgiving.

FORGIVENESS   It is as teachers once again that we are able to set the example of forgiving others and holding no grudges.

Forgiveness is seen when actions speak louder than words and children understand 'sorry' is not always enough,

• when teachers re-affirm children after a discipline problem and "wipe the slate clean",
• when children act as mediators within their peer groups,
• when children are compassionate.

Children will learn that forgiveness is very hard and is a lifelong challenge but the Sacrament of Reconciliation shows us the supreme forgiveness in God's love for us.

CARE  and WELCOME

We aim to create a caring, supportive and welcoming school for children, staff, parents, families, support agencies and visitors from the church and local communities.

 CARE  We will create a secure environment where the physical, emotional and spiritual development of the child has high priority.

We will act appropriately towards children who have any special or additional needs

Good relationships between teacher and child will encourage dialogue which builds confidence allowing concerns and problems to be shared.

Children need to feel that staff have time to listen, praise and reassure 

The success and happiness of our school depends upon each one of us, teaching and non-teaching staff, being individual members of a co-operative team.

Professional and personal support to each other will create supportive and friendly relationships which will not only be witnessed by children and parents but will make our difficult job that much easier. 

WELCOME  We will create a welcoming environment for all who come into our school.

This will be evident by:-

• our openness to parents and visitors,
• our welcome to new children
• the friendliness of children to visitors.
• the bright and interesting signs of welcome.
• the invitations extended at special times in the year.
• the invitation for parents, families and Governors to be involved in the daily life of the school.
• the invitation to parents to help in school.

 We will value the contribution that parents and other members of the community can make to the work of our school. 

 SHARING,  JOY and  LOVE

It is our Mission to develop in all children a healthy respect for their own existence, to value the gifts and skills which makes each one unique and special and to acknowledge the special gifts they see in others.

However, this cannot stand alone; we must also guide them towards an understanding of how each one of us has a part to play in enhancing and enriching the lives of those around us.

SHARING     We will allow time to build relationships between staff and children and children and children, based upon knowledge of each other.

We will recognise that everyone has a contribution to make.  All children will be valued, in the classroom, throughout the school.

We will encourage children to value the contribution, effort and progress of others, regardless of age and ability.

This will take the form of merits, certificates, taking part in important events, having good work, deeds or effort recognised. 

We will share experiences at home or in school and help children to value the opinions and feeling of others.

We will share spiritual experiences together and with the community.

 We will share in material way be recognising the needs of others and providing for them to the best of our ability.

JOY    When we are happy we feel good about ourselves and others.

We will strive to create a happy school by:-

• seeing smiling faces as the norm
• adults and children laughing together, sharing jokes and humorous situations.
• enjoying being together at times of celebration - feast days, birthdays,
• assemblies, sacramental celebrations.
• sharing our joy with the outside community by involving them in school activities or going out to them.

LOVE   Everything we do must be Christ centred and mustreflect God's love for us.

EVANGELISATION 

The school is seen by many as an important part of the parish and local community.  It is our mission to give witness to the Gospel values by the way we follow God's word and live our lives.

Through the work we do and the care we give we hope to set examples for our children to follow, now and in the future.

Through our openness we hope that parents find us approachable and we pray that in time of stress or family crisis we will find the wisdom and strength to be sympathetic, reassuring and informative.

We hope to be seen as a valuable part of the parish and local community and that we find ways to work co-operatively.

We do all these things in the faith that we are fulfilling God's plan for us.