Our Vision

Through our planned curriculum, enrichment activities and school ethos, we aspire to develop our children into responsible global citizens who will be able to enjoy fully our diverse world and have many choices and opportunities open to them.

We hope that by Year 7 our children are able to shine their light further into the community (rather than hiding it), while maintaining a strong sense of self-identity, valuing who they are and showing humility and endurance in lifelong learning.

We take inspiration from Matthew 5: 14-16:

⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Our Mission Statement

St. Francis’ is a Church of England school dedicated to giving our children skills for life, so they can dream, be inquisitive and have many life choices open to them in the future. We work in close partnership with the Parish of Aycliffe and are an inclusive school for children of any faith or no faith. 

In the words of St Francis' we ask every child to...

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

On entry into Year 3 children are supported to find and focus on their gifts, sharing them with others while developing ways to overcome any disadvantages in a supportive environment.

Children are equipped with growth mind-set skills so they can be confident enough to have a try. There is no failing at St Francis, just...

First

Attempts

In

Learning

Children are shown how to shine and share their gifts with our St Francis' family. By Year 5 and 6 children are like torches, shining the way for the Year 3 and 4 pupils, helping them to find their gifts.

As children become more secure in their self-identity and begin to develop their own set of ethics, there are increased responsibilities in school and the wider community. We aspire for our children to shine light further into the community, as lighthouses as they move onto the next stage of their education. They do, however, remain part of our St Francis' family for life and we welcome them back with open arms. 

Christian values underpin all interactions, we value all learners and promote inclusivity so all members of our St. Francis’ family can shine, to be the best they can be (Matthew 5: 14-16).

Our ethos is one of love, trust and koinonia, where school is a safe space to try out and develop new skills and we all learn together by trying, failing and learning from our mistakes. Endurance, determination and support for each other are key to individual achievements. 

We teach children about our three core values of trust, love and koinonia.

TRUST 

Our school is named after St Francis of Assisi who lived in Italy and was born in 1811 or 1812. He put all of his trust in God and gave up all of his possessions and lived in poverty. St Francis taught his disciples about God and in 1209 he took his 12 disciples to Rome. In April 1209, the Pope agreed that they could form  the Franciscan order. One his order was established, in 1212 he organised a women’s order called the Poor Clares. It was run by Saint Clare of Assisi. 

St Francis' works closely with the Parish of Aycliffe and Rev. Ann from St Clare's to ensure we provide the best possible education and personal development experiences for our children. “A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14) We trust that together Church and school, in partnership can support children to be even stronger teenagers as they prepare for adulthood. There is a Church Youth Group that meets at St Francis' Church on a Monday. 

Trust is developed in St Francis’ through interactions between members of our community. We value honesty, openness, transparency and integrity from all. 

Through consistent rules, routines, school systems and grace, children are able to take ownership of their behaviour and learning. Mistakes are central to our community and together we learn and build shared ways of working together to ensure everyone to be the best they can be.

All staff have confidence and belief in every child and work with children, to ensure they are confident global citizens. 

LOVE 

Love is at the heart of our school ethos. It enables us to value everyone as an individual and provide the nurture and care needed to unlock their potential and help them shine.  Through the dark times, this light has brought us all together - without judgement, we work collectively to support our community.  

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18) 

We teach children the meaning of love at St Francis' through the Parable of the Lost Sheep. In our St Francis' family we will not leave a sheep who is lost, with determination and love we will find them and once again help them to find their light (their confidence and gifts) so they can shine and be the best they can be.

Just like the shepherd celebrated the achievements with his community, we gather our 'flock' every Friday in our Awards collective worship linked to our vision and core Christian values to celebrate the weekly achievements. These are shared with the wider community in the school newsletter.  

KOINONIA  

Koinonia is a sense of community, not just being part of a school but a fellowship. Members of our St Francis’ family are part of school, parish, county, country and international communities.  “It gives light to all in the house.” (Matthew 5:15) 

Koinonia promotes a sense of self-worth and understanding of how, as an individual, they can impact on a much wider community.   

Our curriculum intent includes all members of our community being valued, as individuals, for their gifts and attributes. They can use these to be a beacon of light across the communities to which they belong. Through planned and unplanned shared experiences, connections are made between individuals and groups to enable the development of a distinctively Christian community.