Aims and Values

Mission Statement

Our mission statement is:

At Saint Joseph's we work, learn and grow together guided by Jesus' teachings

Slogan

Our slogan is:

Kind hands, kind words, like Jesus...

Catholic Ethos

The school was founded by and is part of the Catholic Church. The school is to be conducted as a Catholic school in accordance with canon law and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and in accordance with the Trust Deeds of the Archdiocese of Birmingham and in particular:

(a) Religious education is to be in accordance with the teachings, doctrines, discipline and general and particular norms of the Catholic Church.
(b) Worship is to be in accordance with the rites, practices, discipline and liturgical norms of the Catholic Church.

And at all times the school is to serve as a witness to the Catholic faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our School Values

Our values are also the names of our five school teams (houses):

Respect - Respect for others, respect for the school building, respect for the values and beliefs of others, respect for ourselves, respect for our Catholic community, respect for other religions, countries and cultures.
Forgiveness - Following Jesus’ teachings by seeking to reconcile our differences, by saying sorry and by forgiving others and giving opportunities to make things better.
Truth - Knowing that telling the truth and being honest is always the right way.
Kindness - Trying our best to show kindness to others in all that we say and do, having kind hands and kind words for everyone – even those we find it hard to get on with sometimes.
Equality - Every human being is equal and valuable and loved by God. Everyone in our school is equal, unique and special and we treat everyone fairly. Everyone is equally special regardless of their gender, religion, ethnicity or cultural background.

British Values

How British Values are central to our school values, ethos and mission:

Democracy: We actively promote and model democracy by:

Providing our children with a broad knowledge of and promoting respect for public institutions and services eg. visits to Parliament, MP visits into school, visits to/from Police, Hospitals, Fire Service, Local Councillors, visits to town hall, debates.
Teaching children how they can influence decision making through the democratic process eg. School council, suggestion boxes, Parliament workshops.
Encouraging pupils to become involved in decision making processes and ensuring they are listened to in school eg. school council, open door policy for head and deputy, consultation groups, liaison between staff and pupils.
Organising visits to the town hall and to Parliament.
Teaching children how public services operate and how they are held to account eg. in Vocations week.
Modelling how perceived injustice can be peacefully challenged eg. by teaching about inspirational figures such as Ghandi, Mandela, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King.

Rule of Law: We actively promote and model the rule of law by:

Ensuring school rules are clear and fair eg. through our consistent behaviour policy.
Helping children to distinguish right from wrong eg. by using the example of Christ when dealing with behaviour that is not acceptable.
Promoting respect for the law and the basis on which it is made eg. through visitors such as PCSOs, Police, MP into school.
Helping children to understand that living under the rule of law protects individuals eg through our RE curriculum, through focus weeks, visitors.
Having a behaviour policy that is linked to restorative justice eg. that is based in the Christian value of forgiveness.

Individual Liberty: We actively promote and model individual liberty by:

Supporting pupils to develop their self knowledge, self esteem and self confidence eg. through our Catholic ethos, our way of treating people, by investing heavily in meeting the needs of all of the children, by providing equality of opportunity, by knowing and understanding the needs of all of the children.
Encouraging pupils to take responsibility for their behaviour as well as knowing their rights eg. through linking rights with responsibilities, by having a fair and consistent behaviour management policy.
Challenging stereotypes eg. visitors into school, disability awareness, anti bullying and anti racism learning, vocations week.
Implementing a strong anti bullying culture.
Following the UNICEF Rights Respecting School agenda.

Respect and Tolerance: We actively promote and model respect and tolerance by: