At St. Anthony’s we aim to create a thriving Christian community of children, parents, governors and staff. We endeavour to use the Gospel so that it influences everything that relates to our work as a school. We remain aware that we travel with Jesus in each step of our development as we fulfil our mission statement. We believe that in living out the Gospel values our children develop an understanding of the values of modern British society. Their knowledge and awareness of this is regularly fostered through many aspects of school life. For example, democracy is witnessed in the voting of the Y5 and Y6 children for our team captains and other school leadership roles; elections for school councillors and their systems for hearing the pupil voice; pupil questionnaires giving children the opportunity to express their views and adults in school who listen to the children and value their opinions. Y6 enjoyed seeing democracy in action when they visited The Houses of Parliament.
Class and school rules, upheld throughout the day both indoors and outside, underpin the children’s understanding of the rule of law which governs our country. The reasoning and values behind our rules, for children’s guidance and safety, are explained as are the responsibilities involved and the consequences when rules are broken. Children as young as three years of age in our Nursery begin to make choices in their safe environment. As they grow throughout the school children learn to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms as they are helped to develop in their understanding of individual liberty. Mutual respect is integral to our school’s ethos and values. Everything we do at St. Anthony’s promotes respect for others and this is evident through the interaction of our staff and the children’s behaviour. A diverse range of cultures exist at St. Anthony’s. The children celebrate this, commenting positively in their pupil questionnaires. They are all supported in their tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs through their learning in school and by taking part in activities within the multi-cultural locality, beyond. Our children leave St. Anthony’s very well prepared for life in modern Britain.