Our Context:
We serve two small villages: Feckenham and Bradley Green, however we also have pupils from other, larger areas of Redditch.
The large majority of our pupils come from White British backgrounds and our deprivation levels are well below the national average.
Recently we converted to an academy and joined the Shires Multi Academy Trust with Webheath Academy Primary and Studley High School.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
“Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
Mark 4:30-32
This is the parable on which our distinctive Christian Vision is based.
It is mentioned in Matthew and Luke also.
There are various interpretations of this parable that Jesus told when asked âWhat is the Kingdom of Godâ, when he spoke about it to crowds who gathered to listen to him speak.
Feckenhamâs interpretation of this links to our 4 overarching values of:
⢠Wisdom
⢠Community
⢠Hope
⢠Dignity
As a summary, the mustard seed represents the core of our values at Feckenham, what we want for all of our children, staff, governors and families to know, appreciate and uphold because they make a positive difference while here but also in the future.
The roots from which the seed establishes itself and grows well are âfedâ by love. Love of each other as people and through the knowledge that God loves us all regardless of our shortcomings.
The trunk of the tree is an embodiment of the school as a place to learn (why are we here?) so incorporates: Knowledge, friendship and forgiveness.
The branches represent the consistent welcome to our school as a safe and inclusive place where we aim to emulate Godâs love and grace for everyone.
Birds represent the four core Christian values that bring us closer to God.
- Owl- Wisdom
- Kingfisher- Community
- Dove- Hope
- Sparrow- Dignity
These 4 values will be a common thread running through our work in class and also in upholding the ethos of our school.
Vision & associated values
Our Mission Statement:
âWith God we grow to live life in all its fullnessâ
We believe that all our pupils, staff and families are loved by God and as such are of intrinsic value. Our mission is to help everyone in our school flourish personally and academically; fulfilling their potential through the guiding principles of wisdom, hope, community and dignity.
âA tree is known by its fruitâ Matthew 12.33
âDonât let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example in speech, in conduct, in love , in faith (Timothy 4:12)
Why are we here?
Developing Wisdom: Prepared to listen and learn from teachers in lots of contexts; nurturing lifelong learners; building the foundations for a fruitful future.
The Wise and Foolish Builder
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Matthew 7:24-27
This Bible story shows us how important it is to make good use of the wisdom of others that guide us through our lives, including God. We are fortunate to have many opportunities to develop into knowledgeable individuals, successful in our own right, hopefully realising our true talents and living a fulfilling life. Hard work is not a waste of time but worthwhile.
We develop Wisdom through:
- Providing a broad and balanced curriculum where each subject discipline is valued in its own right, therefore truly promoting diversity.
- Growing core knowledge and core vocabulary helping us to secure mastery in our learning.
- Providing opportunities to revisit, retrieve and apply new knowledge as we know learning is a change to long term memory and so takes longer than one lesson!
- Knowing that some learning is best done in a continuous fashion for example letâs learn about seasons as we go through the year and not in a week in November.
- Understanding that we are all learners at all ages and at all levels of expertise.
Hope : How we approach life is crucial to our health and wellbeing. We understand that life is not always easy and troubled times come to everyone. Hope overcomes despair. Hope helps us with our aspirations. Hope is rational and brings peace in the face of fear.
Jesus is the source of all hope, it is by looking to Jesus that we grow more like him.
“When Jesus had led them out into the vicinity of Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.”
Luke 24 :50-53
 After Jesus was raised from the dead, he gave his disciples the promise that he would soon be returning to his Father in heaven, but they would not be left alone. The disciples were filled with hope when they witnessed Jesus ascending into heaven.
We develop Hope by:
- Iterating the values of perseverance and aspiration and putting these in context with role models form the past and present.
- Utilising Carol Dweckâs work on the power of mindset and not putting children into fixed ability groups so we can all embrace our possibilities when expectations are high.
- Focusing on real events in our world that provide us with good examples of hope and being thankful for these through regular prayer and/or reflections.
- Being a listening school; we are here to help everyone in good times and bad. A school day is fast paced but we always have time to pause and listen when we are needed.
Developing Dignity: How we treat one another is fundamental to our Christian values. We want everyone to feel loved and valued for everything they bring to our school and community and supported in their needs however big or small. Treating each other respectfully with kindness and grace and understanding that we can disagree well underpins creating a compassionate and supportive ethos.
âLove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mindâ; and, âLove your neighbour as yourself.â
Mark: 12.31
We develop Dignity through:
- Understanding that we all need some level of differentiated assistance through school and life. We are growing our understanding of Universal Design for Learning which means that small adaptations to help some pupils learn better actually benefits everyone.
- Treating people fairly and with grace. The inequalities evident in the past act as a reminder of what we should avoid and put right in our words and actions. Our weekly assemblies and acts of worship focus on individuals of all nations that have shown great advocacy for justice and equal rights.
- Celebrating mistakes! Our brains make valuable connections when mistakes are made, therefore we do not feel ashamed or worried about making mistakes but cherish what they bring.
Community: following the example of the Son
“So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one anotherâs feet.”
John 13:14
The night before he died, Jesus took a bowl of water and a towel and washed his disciplesâ feet. He told the disciples he was setting an example for them to follow â an example of love and service.
We are individuals but not alone. Our community whether as a school, village, town, country or world is built on serving one another, giving not just taking, considering our actions, not putting ourselves above others.
Our sense of Community is shown through:
- Â Using peer support at playtimes and lunchtimes; we are not just a class community but a school community.
- Our links with Feckenham Village, taking part on the Feckenham Wake, Spring Flower Show, Scarecrow Festival and Fun on the Green.
- Our links with Feckenham Church; celebrating and giving thanks in the Church throughout the year; taking part in the Christmas Carols and Readings; raising money for the restoration of the unique features such as the stained glass windows.
- Welcoming the wonderful team of âOpen the Bookâ to weekly assemblies to provide live action readings of the Bible.
- The sharing of values that help to shape ourselves as good members of society.
- Â Raising awareness of the local food banks and collecting regularly for those in need.
- Shared celebration assemblies with families each week.
- Watching and discussing Daily News to keep us in touch with our world in good times and bad.
