Our School motto: Growing together in learning, love and faith.

 This guides us in what we are doing here and our daily purpose within our community.

Our Christian Vision

Every member of the Cowbit St Mary’s Church of England Primary School community is welcomed and nurtured, enabling all to flourish.  As children of God, each child will thrive emotionally, spiritually and academically through our enriching curriculum providing both opportunities and possibilities.  We empower our whole school community to be hopeful about the future and to be drivers of positive change.  We are committed to ensuring that each child is as individual as a mustard seed and they are encouraged to grow to their full potential and to live life in all its fullness.

From little seeds great and wonderful things grow and flourish.

Our values are our roots, which help us grow over time.  We have six core values:

• Respect for our school, our environment and our community

““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

• Perseverance when faced with challenge

“Let us not become weary in doing good” Galatians 6:9

• Forgiveness to let go, move on and learn from our ways

“Forgive and you will be forgiven.”  Luke 6:37

• Responsibility to take control of our learning and behaviour

“For God gave us a spirit of power and love and self control” 2 Timothy 1:17

• Kindness for everyone and everything

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” Matthew 7:12

• Hope for the future

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord… “plans to give you hope and a future”  Jeremiah 29:11

Theological Underpinning

Our vision is based on Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed, ‘He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.’

Matthew 13.31-32

This describes the Kingdom of Heaven growing and flourishing from small, humble beginnings. We believe that our school is like that tree, which grows over time as wide as we can with branches that reach out into our community, providing shade, shelter and life for the community of Cowbit. The tree is home to the children, parents, staff and community members, who are like the birds nesting within its branches. They are nurtured in our school, and in time flourish, developing skills, attitudes and values which are important for adult life.

This parable is a powerful reminder that incredible things come from the humblest of beginnings, but it also illustrates the abundant life-giving nature of God’s kingdom for all who seek it.

We place importance on every child belonging to our school and encourage the children to show their uniqueness. Every child has a unique song to sing. By the end of their time at Cowbit, they will be able to spread their wings and fly high.

Theological foundations of our vision

The image of God’s kingdom being like that of a life-giving tree is a thread which runs through many passages of scripture. In John’s gospel, Jesus describes himself as the vine, providing nourishment to the branches, without whom no fruit can grow. The psalmist David describes those who meditate on God’s word as being like ‘trees that are planted in streams of water, who produce fruit in season and whose leaves do not wither’.

However, regardless of religious upbringing or belief, the idea of Cowbit St Mary’s C of E Primary School being this life-giving tree is an image with universal appeal and one that is ingrained in countless cultures and traditions. This universal appeal is also true of birds. Children and adults alike can identify with birds representing freedom, aspiration and joy. 

Nevertheless, it’s important to recognise that living by this vision as a school isn’t easy. It requires the school to be counter-cultural. In a world of instant judgements, it asks the school to be accepting of all. Where it would be easy not to help and support those around us, it means that the school should offer its help regardless.