At Saint Joseph’s, the Borough, our Mission Statement affirms that ‘..the meaning of life of every person born into this world offers the model for everything we do..’ We have Christ at the centre of our school day and all of our daily interactions eachother. We are all created in God’s image. Our ethos is lived out through signs of Christ’s teaching in the school; the way we behave and care for each other as one large family and through our service to society. Our culture and aims promote the Gospel values and the dignity of the human person; each child is a precious individual. We believe that everyone should be treated with respect and we should live life to the full. These ideals form the basis from which we grow our conscience; our values, motivations, aspirations, choices and actions. The children and staff of Saint Joseph’s will understand that they are uniquely created by God and are loved and valued for who they are. They will develop spiritually on a journey in faith. They will play their part to ensure that Saint Joseph’s is a community in which Christian values are firmly rooted in the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of each child. The children will explore and deepen their faith through spiritual, meaningful and reflective liturgies and worship.
During their time at Saint Joseph’s, the Borough, children use ‘Learning and growing in the love of God’ as our RE scheme of work to complement the Catholic Way of Life throughout the school. We adhere to the Religious Education Curriculum Directory in maintaining 10% of our curriculum time. The children, along with parents and carers when appropriate, participate in Masses, liturgies, feast days, holy days and collective worship which involves religious actions and worship including the celebration of the sacraments to mark the Liturgical Year. Special emphasis is rightly given to Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter, and of course St Joseph’s Day. Opportunities are planned to develop their sense of duty and service to society through almsgiving, by working with outside agencies and charities such as CAFOD and local charity groups such as the Manna Centre, to help the less able or more vulnerable. There are regular opportunities to be still in presence of God through reflective prayer throughout the school day as well as opportunities for celebration, prayer and reflection in implicit and explicit ways. Each class has a prayer space which is decorated to reflect the liturgical year and there are class prayer books which the children take home and write a prayer to share. A systematic calendar of Christian events, messages and liturgical practices in ways appropriate to the age and stage of the development of the children is embedded throughout each term. Collaboration with the local clergy, parents and governors in the implementation of the Catholic way of life ensures all stakeholders are involved and participate, contributing to a meaningful experience for all.
At Saint Joseph’s our children will develop into happy, well-rounded individuals who have developed a deep-rooted relationship with God and understanding of their Catholic faith. They will have developed their religious literacy and understanding of their Catholic faith while simultaneously having respect for the recognised Fundamental British Values. They will be ambassadors for Christ who are ready to go out into the world and proclaim the values of the Gospel confidently, building the Kingdom of God through compassion, justice, love and forgiveness in their relationship with others. Our children will understand that they are part of the family of God and know how they can play their part in this global family united by Christ. They will be able to draw upon their faith to play a central and meaningful role in their daily lives and the decisions they make. Through religious practice, the church’s traditions of prayer and worship will be upheld and used in a way to grow the children’s spirituality and love of God and one another.
