Christian Vision and Values
Aspire, Believe , Care
We aspire for ourselves and others; We believe in ourselves, others and in God; We care for ourselves, our community and the wider world.
‘Our aspiration is for all members of our community to become independent lifelong learners. Through an engaging curriculum which promotes curiosity, children use powerful knowledge to question and challenge. Based on our Christian beliefs, we are a welcoming, inclusive and caring school that encourages pupils to become respectful and responsible members of our local and global communities’
Our Five Key Values
We have five key values that we teach to the children here at Ditton C of E Juniors. These values are important to the whole school community and support our approach to all aspects of education and the school day. All of our values within the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 v 1-10
Compassion
Jesus showed compassion towards Zaccheaus and befriended him.
Love
Jesus showed love towards Zaccheaus and befriended him.
Perserverance
Zacchaeus was short and couldn’t see above the taller people in the crowd. He could have given up and gone home thinking there was no point in trying to see Jesus because he just couldn’t see. But instead, he ran ahead and climbed a tree, so he had a good view. He persevered, looked at a different way to face the challenge ahead of him, and was rewarded by a good view of Jesus.
Respect
Zacchaeus had respect for Jesus. He had heard good things about this man and wanted to see him for himself. He wanted to hear Jesus and listen to what he had to say
Responsibility
Zacchaeus was truly changed by meeting Jesus. When he experienced the love and compassion that Jesus gave to him, he felt empathy for those people he had stolen from and been unkind to. He felt a responsibility to put things right and promised to give all he had stolen back and also gave some of his wealth to help the poor.
Collective Worship
We follow a clear process of collective worship every week which engages and enthuses the whole school community and brings us together to share the message of worship each week.
We look at a big question every week, which is introduced to the school on the Monday. These questions can be wide in range a cover a range of topics but are always linked back to an element of the Bible or the schools vision and values.
Tuesday builds on the foundations of worship on Monday and provides opportunity within class for the children to debate and discuss the weeks topic in more depth at an age appropriate level.
Wednesday we are often visited by Reverend Terranova, who leads us in worship, linked to our key theme.
Thursday worship continues to build on from themes within the week or links back to diocese planning and themes or looks wider at events locally or nationally i.e anti-bullying week for example.
Friday is either class worship or celebration worship lead by the children and a chance to celebrate learning from all areas of the school.
Religious Education
Religious Education is taught in accordance with both the ‘Understanding Christianity’ scheme of work and the Kent Agreed Syllabus. RE enables pupils to appreciate their own and others’ beliefs and cultures, helping them to develop a clear understanding of the significance of religion in their own area as well as in the world today. Each of our classrooms has a Reflection Area, supporting pupils to explore their faith and spirituality through reflection.
See our Religious Education page for more information.
Leading Lights
Our Leading Lights play an important role in demonstrating the spiritual aspects of our school day and learning. They lead their classes in Collective Worship, modelling respect during acts of worship and support whoever is leading worship with key elements of the gathering. The Faith Leaders also play an important role when we are at church, leading and supporting to ensure services are well-led.
To find out more about our current Faith Leaders, please visit the Pupil Leadership page here
Our Church
Ditton CofE Juniors has strong links with the Parish Church of St Peters Ditton, which resides just over the road from the school’s location.
Ross Terranova has the privilege to being the Rector of Ditton and one of the aspects of the job he enjoys the most is the close involvement with Ditton Church of England Junior School, as he feels it is important to give children a real opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ in a way which is both informative and exciting because Jesus claimed he came to give to us ‘life in all its fullness’.
Ross is involved in taking collective worship for the whole school. In addition all the children get to attend the Church for the celebration of events such as Harvest, Christmas and Easter. As well, the school attends a Christingle service just before Christmas for children and parents where we celebrate Christ as the Light of the World.
Recently Rector Ross Terranova has started holding a Bible service for children in year 6. The Church Council in Ditton purchases Bibles for all children in the year group and at this service each child is presented with their own personal Bible.
There are many occasions during the year when Ross also holds question and answer sessions both in classrooms and also in the Church, this inspires brilliant questions, and great conversations and discussions.
Our School Prayer
Dear God
Make our school a place of laughter and friendship,
Make our school a place where we learn and persevere,
Make our school a place where we show love and compassion
Make our school a place where we can share our hopes and dreams
Make our school a place where we show respect and take responsibility
Make our school a place where we can grow and thrive
Amen