British values

At St. Francis Xavier School, our Christian values of Compassion, Courage, Service and Stewardship form the foundations for everything we do. Underpinning this, is our school ethos of ‘Love God. Love Your Neighbour’.

Together, our values and ethos create an environment in which all members of our school community are enabled to be the best they can possibly be, through their willingness to serve one another.

Our values and ethos permeate all areas of school life, ensuring that all of our young people are cared for, and given the opportunities to develop academically, personally and spiritually. This, in turn, means they are enabled to flourish as children of God, putting our school values and ethos into action in the community and wider society.

In our endeavour to promote and live-out our school values, it is not only clear that these perfectly complement British Values, but are, in fact, at the root of every British Value we uphold at St. Francis Xavier School:

Democracy

Rooted in our values of service and stewardship, St. Francis Xavier School promotes democracy through a culture of freedom and equality, where everyone is given the space to speak and to be heard, and to express their opinions and their needs, so that we can appropriately look after one another.

This is evidenced in:

• The democratic voting system we use for election to Student Council, House Captains and Head Students and sometimes staff appointments
• Debate club
• Religious Education, where every student shares their opinion on issues 
• Regular student, staff and parent voice surveys

   

The Rule of Law

Being good stewards of God’s creation means ensuring that St. Francis Xavier School is a happy, safe and secure environment, in which every member is enabled to thrive and flourish. The rules we have in school are designed to ensure this, with every rule built upon the cornerstone of our ethos. 

This is evidenced in:

• Our outstanding attitude to learning as witnessed in classes
• Our enrichment programme and leadership opportunities which encourage all students to use and improve their gifts and talents
• Our prefect and head student programme, which ensures students feel safe and protected during break/lunch times
• Promoting continuous care for our school and local environment, through litter picking
• Annual engagement with Anti-Bullying Week

Tolerance and Mutual Respect

Our school value of compassion, in which we are called to look lovingly and mercifully upon every member of God’s creation is inextricably intertwined with the British Values of Tolerance and Mutual Respect. Showing compassion towards others in the knowledge that loving our neighbour encompasses a love of every one of God’s people regardless of their values, ideas and beliefs, promotes tolerance and respect. It also enables us to understand and celebrate diversity.

This is evidenced in:

• The joint faith nature of our school, which celebrates the diversity of the Christian faith and welcomes staff and students from all faith backgrounds and none.  
• Social Justice campaigns and actions to support our global family, such as food bank donation drives, CAFOD Big Lent Walk and Family Fast Days, Christian Aid Week and Youth SVP visits to the vulnerable and marginalised members of our local community.
• Annual celebrations for the European Day of Languages, promoting a variety of cultures and traditions
• A rich variety of trips to other countries, again, allowing students to learn more about other cultures and traditions. 
• The student-led Equality and Diversity Working Party 
• Paired reading and peer mentoring scheme, ensuring that the needs of all students are met and respected.

Individual Liberty

Individual liberty encompasses equality and human rights, consent and individuality, personal development and respect and dignity of all peoples. Protecting the rights of our young people and all those who work with them is supported by our school values of service and stewardship. Promoting respect and dignity of all people is underpinned by our school ethos, in which love of God is expressed through lovingly serving those around us, especially those on the peripheries of society. 

This is evidenced in:

• The equality and diversity working party ensures the rights of others are upheld, being a voice for the voiceless. 
• The Youth SVP working to ease the needs of those who are struggling in our local area
• The annual opportunity for students to serve the sick in Lourdes 
• Awareness campaigns and fundraising for charities such as Macmillan, Place2Be, Fair Trade, Christian Aid and CAFOD.