Valuing Our Distinctly Christian Ethos

Guided by Christian and British values, we maintain that learning should be an exciting and enjoyable experience for everyone (adults and children); it should be fun and interactive, challenging and celebratory so a love for learning deepens.

Our Christian values support our spiritual, moral, social and cultural development as we grow and learn together in a happy, safe, aspirational environment. Through God’s example, we celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and endeavour to unlock their full potential. We inspire and enable our children to contribute to and thrive in a diverse society through promoting the following core values: 

Kindness, Peace, Hope, Forgiveness and Respect

In so doing, our vision is that our whole community will actively demonstrate: “Let all that you do be done with love” so that all may flourish and succeed.

Our Vision Explained

“Let all that you do be done with love” (1 Corinthians 16:14) so that all may flourish and succeed.

Our strong sense of community and collaboration ensures that happiness, fulfilment and wellbeing are at the forefront of our work, so that children know they are loved by God and in turn grow to love learning, to love life and to love others. Our ambition is for all our children and school community to use their talents and gifts for the common good so that they may live life in all its fullness. 

Our vision is rooted in the letters from Paul to the Corinthians. In the lengthy letter, 1 Corinthians 16:14, Paul gives the believers many instructions for how to live in the world as Christians and how to handle many difficult issues they had been facing.

Paul speaks of God's unconditional love and gives examples of what love is in chapter 13, which is often read at weddings but has an application on every day of a Christian’s life: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Our vision also links to the vision of Rise Multi-Academy Trust, The Leicester Diocese Board of Education vision and the Church of England's vision for education.

Collective Worship at Croxton Kerrial

Collective Worship is a very important part of our day to share our vision and values through recognising the love of God.

Click on the link below to take you to our dedicated area:

We aim to provide a variety of different experiences for our children so that they learn to love one another, love life and love God. We do this through play, song, prayer, dance, drama, worship, cooking, meal times, outdoor adventures, books, visits, conversation, technology, community events, visitors, charity work, the curriculum and so much more. You will see a snapshot of this throughout our website.

Spirituality at Our School

Spiritual development relates to the quest for individual identity and the search for meaning and purpose in our existence. It leads towards the understanding of self and others; the natural world and beyond; how to love and be loved. It has to do with feelings, emotions, attitudes and beliefs: things that we care about, things that move us, things we are curious about and love. It is not linked solely to a particular religion, doctrine or faith. It is something we experience on a personal level.

Spiritual development is therefore accessible to everyone.

Understanding Spirituality

At Croxton Kerrial School, we think of spirituality in terms of making connections...like Lego!

When we build Lego, we join bricks with other bricks; we link them together to create something bigger and more fabulous.

The four elements of Spirituality in our school

Spirituality looks to explore our connections and relationships with: 

• Ourselves
• Others
• The World
• Beyond

Nurturing and developing Spirituality 

We provide a range of planned and unplanned opportunities for children to develop their own spiritual journey. These opportunities are across the whole curriculum in order to educate the whole child.

Activities teach the children to reflect and consider their own connections through the following symbolism as an aide memoire, to trigger those connections with spirituality throughout their lives:

• Mirrors: Children learn about themselves
• Windows: Children learn about life
• Doors: Children step out into the world, living out their Christian values through their connection with others
• Candles: Children make connections with the things they cannot see

Children’s spiritual development is fostered through all aspects of our provision and can be tangible in many different ways, for example:

Through prayer and worship

Light a candle

SIAMS

We were delighted with our SIAMS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools) Report dated 13th December 2022. 

Croxton Kerrial CE Primary was praised for “transforming lives” and enabling all to flourish and succeed, which resulted in an overall judgement of 'Good'...which is BRILLIANT!

A SIAMS inspection is much like an Ofsted inspection, but assesses how effective a Christian vision is, and how that vision is enabling pupils and staff to flourish. 

During their visit, the inspector concluded that: “Being part of this deeply caring school community is transforming lives in the knowledge that Christian love is constant and immoveable. As a result, everyone is flourishing as they are equipped to face the challenges of an ever-changing world.”

The report continued: “Parents choose to send their children to this school because of its deep Christian character and sense of family. They passionately express how this genuine sense of unity and love impacts life at home…There is an intense sentiment of mutual respect and trust.”

Amongst our positive feedback, the inspector also found that:

• ‘Let all that you do be done with love’ is inherent in this small school community…There is an all-encompassing acceptance of each unique individual, enabling everyone to feel secure and flourish.
• Pupils are flourishing because the broad and balanced curriculum is grounded in inspiring a love for learning. Strong relationships and intuitive teaching help them to feel secure and challenge themselves.
• Relationships are strong at all levels within this vibrant school community...Attendance is good as a result of frequent interactions with families. Every pupil’s circumstance is known and they are treated as an individual.
• Well planned collective worship impacts the lives of many of the school community. Times of spiritual reflection and exploration of faith are deeply valued.
• Expressions of Christian love within this community are reciprocal. Selfless, practical actions by pupils include litter picking throughout the village [and] fundraising causes including raising funds to heat the church because they use it so much.
• Pupils respond with empathy to plights of people from around the world demonstrating deep Christian love.
• Difference and diversity are celebrated as everyone is valued and recognised as part of God’s creation.

We are exceptionally proud of the caring, family-orientated Christian ethos that we share here at Croxton Kerrial; it is what makes our school so special. It is fantastic to see this reflected so well in the many positive comments throughout the inspection report.

To achieve such a glowing report is testament to the team effort of children, staff, governors, parents and our wider Rise family and community; having the opportunity to work together  creates that sense of unity, belonging and safety which ultimately makes Croxton a wonderful place to be.

Mark Cole, CEO of Rise Multi Academy Trust, said: “Congratulations to everyone at Croxton Kerrial CE Primary for this fantastic outcome. At the heart of our Trust is an absolute commitment to enabling our pupils, our staff and our school communities to flourish and succeed. Through partnership and collaboration we can achieve incredible things together.”

The full report can be read below.