Faith and Community

Vision

The best for everyone, the best from everyone. We have faith in our future.

Values

ASPIRATION

I believe that having high aspirations can motivate me to work hard and achieve my goals without excuses. I have high expectations in everything I do. Aspiration is valuable because it allows me to look beyond my current experiences and to understand, interpret and change the world for the better.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

INTEGRITY

I believe that living my life by high moral standards and values is important. I understand how values are grounded in faith and biblical teaching. I commit to doing the right thing in all circumstances, even if this makes things more difficult for me and when no one is watching. I take responsibility for myself and my community to help it improve for everyone.

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely.”
“Proverbs 10:9a

RESPECT

I believe that mutual respect is the most important element in a kind and cohesive community. Respect, and self-respect, means that I take things seriously. I care about myself and others and aim to do good as I go. Respect is valuable because it allows me to understand the differences in our community and to know how to behave in the best interests of that community.

“Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”
Matthew 22:39

HARD WORK

I believe that through hard work I can overcome challenges as I meet them. I am resilient and want to complete every task to the best of my ability. Hard work is valuable because it enables me to be the best I can be and the best I am meant to be. It builds the foundation of experience and learning for my future.

“With God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26

Faith

The Governing Board and staff at St Anne’s are committed to providing a high quality education for our students, underpinned by Christian values. We work hard to create a caring, safe and happy environment in which our children and young people can learn and grow together, achieve their potential and develop into independent, responsible and caring members of society. We owe it to all our students to ensure they are given every chance to succeed through our vision ‘the best for everyone, the best from everyone, we have faith in our future.’

We are dedicated to developing a strong Christian Ethos and nurturing our students in the Christian faith, develop their understanding of God and their relationship with Him, and support children of other faiths in theirs. We encourage students through our faith programme to think through their own faith and approach to God, their consideration and tolerance of other people, their helpfulness, and their own understanding of themselves. From Assemblies, collective worship, Form time personal development programme, student fellowship, Religious Studies curriculum and the great festivals of the Christian year to community events, charity fund-raising, extra-curricular activities and links with local Churches, students are encouraged to nurture and value their relationships with family, friends and others. This can be by demonstrating mutual respect and positive attitudes, or by supporting someone when they really need it, even if this is just a kind word or smile.

We encourage one another to ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’ and provide many opportunities to give back to the wider community. We work and live by this and know it is understood by people of all faiths. The Academy has strong links with local community groups such as Demesne Community Centre, local Care Homes and with Middleton Food Bank (especially during Harvest season). Students regularly participate in community related events including a weekly Luncheon Club for Demesne members, Christmas Meal and holiday activities.

Students are taught to take pride in the Academy community, to take responsibility for their attendance, punctuality and learning, be respectful, wear their uniform with pride and strive for excellence in every lesson.

The Academy Pastoral Team delivers outstanding care to our students and their families, especially during difficult times. We aim to go the ‘extra mile’ to ensure that students and families know they are cared for. The Chaplain provides pastoral support which includes bereavement counselling to both students and staff. If anyone (staff, students or their families) needs prayer you can email our Chaplain and request this privately through the email address [email protected] . It is important that everyone feels valued and cared for and feedback tells us that students and their families appreciate the lengths that the Academy goes to in order to provide support where it is needed and at the right time. We are a family and relationships are the beating heart of the Academy. We regard this as the key foundation for our distinctive Christian atmosphere.

The Archbishop Young Leaders Award

All our students participate in the Young Leaders Award at Key Stage 3 and 4 during faith Form time and private study on week 2 Tuesday as part of the personal development curriculum. The Archbishop of York Youth Trust exists to empower young people to ‘be the change you want to see’ in their schools, communities and the world. Through running the Young Leaders Award we empower our young people to make a difference in their local community, while helping them to develop key leadership skills.

At Key Stage 3 students study the following modules:

Faith and Leadership – Look at great leaders and the role of charities in society
Hope – Explore hope, community and the positive difference young people can make in their local area. Students examine how we can build community, bring unity and support the most vulnerable in our society, before beginning to plan and prepare for their Action Projects.
Action – Plan and prepare for their Action Projects.

At Key Stage 4 students study the following modules:

Leadership – Explore leadership and why it is important to be a part of their communities, how they can serve others, and encourages them to identify their soft skills and character traits. They will learn how to work effectively in a team and the best ways to communicate ideas.
Building a Team – Students are introduced to the skill of emotional intelligence and why having a good emotional intelligence is important for resolving conflict when working in a team. Students will consider individual roles within a team, strengths and weaknesses and how negotiation and the ability to give constructive feedback contribute to an effective team.
Leadership Challenge – The sessions guide students through the decision making and planning process, providing a practical step by step model to thinking strategically, using inquiry skills and managing work priorities.

Love Thy Neighbour Projects

We have a huge heart for action projects supported by The Archbishop Young Leaders award as we believe it is important to support our local and global community. We participate in many projects such as:

Faith Leaders: Christmas Meal for elderly members of Demesne Community Centre
Y9: Weekly Luncheon Club for members of Demesne Community Centre as part of their community project for Archbishop Young Leaders Award.
Y9: Love thy Neighbour Project Presentations for local and global charities
Y10 & Y11: Homeless Christmas Meal as part of their community project for Archbishop Young Leaders Award.
All Students: Love thy Neighbour Projects Harvest foodbank collection, Operation Christmas Child, and 40 Acts Challenge over Lent

Religious Education Curriculum

Students at St Anne’s spend their time studying the key beliefs, teachings and practises of Christianity, Islam and Sikhism. As they progress through Key Stage 3, students consider the philosophy of religion and apply their knowledge and understanding of these different religious beliefs to a variety of ethical and philosophical questions. They learn about the world around them, how to analyse and evaluate scripture, how to justify their own opinions and to disagree with others respectfully.

Key Stage 4 students are given the opportunity to complete the full Religious Studies GCSE as one of their options. Those students who choose this path will complete the Eduqas Route A Specification – which has a focus on Christianity and Islam. All Key stage 4 students also complete the Archbishop Young Leaders award as part of their Personal development curriculum.

Acts of Worship

Students engage well during Assemblies and Form Time Personal Development activities, participating in a daily act of worship provided by the Cranmer Trust and Academy Chaplain. Collective worship is a key factor in demonstrating our Christian and academy vision and ethos through engagement and reflection and gives pupils and staff the opportunity to: engage in Love Thy Neighbour community projects or national events, have quiet time to reflect, embed school and Christian values, explore God, the bible and celebrate special Christian and other faith events, as well as worship and sharing personal journeys, both positive and negative.

The Academy celebrates the great festivals in the Christian calendar with Assemblies led by the local Reverend at St Leonards for Christmas and Easter with Y7 and Y8 respectively.

Through shared opportunities for self-reflection and worship, students develop their own identity and learn about God. They learn about the importance of accepting everyone and being an active member of the Academy community and the wider community in order to enjoy their education, make friends and fulfil their potential.

Parental Right of Withdrawal

Parents and carers have the legal right to withdraw their children from Religious Education and Collective Worship and, if they wish to do so, should discuss the matter with the headteacher in the first instance.

SIAMS Report November 2018

SIAMS said:

The school’s distinctive Christian vision was judged – Good

‘The strong commitment to its Christian vision, particularly the ideal of love for neighbour, means that the school is particularly valued for its outstanding contribution to wellbeing across the wider neighbourhood, as well as in the lives of its own pupils.’
‘Pupils learn particularly well in the creative subjects, gaining breadth of experience, opportunities for excellence and enhanced self-esteem. This contributes strongly to the impact of the Christian vision.’

The impact of collective worship was judged – Excellent

‘Relationships are the beating heart of the life of St Anne’s. Each strand of the vision is grounded in biblical teaching but the reference to loving your neighbour as you love yourself [Matthew 22:39] is the one most frequently quoted across the school.’
‘The school goes the extra mile to ensure that pupils and families know that they are cared for and, because of this, there is a strong sense of trust for the school and its work.’
‘The most striking impact of worship is the way it inspires people to action. Pupils’ work for charity is outstanding.’