Our Vision
Our vision is for ‘Living life in all its fullness' (John 10:10). The bible teaches us that God wants all his children to flourish, and that community and living well together are of the utmost importance in achieving this aim. We call our community ‘One Big Beacon Family’, together we focus on achieving our Vision for all members of our community. Working with parents and carers, we provide learning and play experiences which engage children’s interests; inspire them to want to know more; motivate them to persevere with their learning and empower them to develop skills of independence. We aim that our children will become:
- Confident individuals who can positively face the successes and challenges of life.
- Successful learners who can take their place in a constantly changing world.
- Responsible citizens who are able to make a positive contribution to today’s diverse society.
- Appreciative and respectful of other people’s uniqueness and talents and recognised and celebrated for their own.
We want each child, member of staff and our wider community to learn to live life in all its fullness, develop wonderful life-long memories of their Beacon years and the knowledge, skills and understanding to be able to continue to flourish throughout their lives.
Throughout our lives, we face tough challenges, difficult times and great joy. We can read examples of all these, and how to manage them, in the Bible. In order to live life in all its fullness, we all need support to learn to understand, develop and use strategies which keep us safe, care for and promote our mental health and wellbeing and empower us to be our best selves.
Our vision for living life in all its fullness (John 10:10) defines The Beacon. Our school has a long-standing reputation for excellence in music and dance. We are known for our Beach School / Adventure School wider outdoor learning opportunities. These things define what makes The Beacon special, unique and different. Staff and Governors are committed to ensuring the good mental health and wellbeing of children and staff, understanding that this is essential in order that our children can achieve good rates of progress and academic standards. Our approach to learning acknowledges basic human needs as defined in Maslow’s Heirachy and many similar explanations: they confirm the simple biblical truth that we all need to have our needs met in order to flourish. The teaching in John 10 establishes Jesus as the Good Shepherd who cares for each one of his sheep, guards and protects them from harm, empowers them to be their best selves as they flourish in his love. Our children become Confident individuals who can positively face the successes and challenges of life.
Jesus taught about community, character and service as essential elements of a happy, successful life. At The Beacon the staff and Governor Teams focus on these in order that we, our children and our wider community are encouraged, inspired, motivated and empowered to live life in all its fullness. Our children become Successful learners who can take their place in a constantly changing world.
The commitment of leaders and managers to the staff team has engendered a commitment so far beyond that of the ‘hired worker’ in John 10:12. Staff are solution-focused, even in the most difficult of challenges.
Because there is open, trusting professional dialogue and a securely shared vision, staff trust that their views are valued; that the improvement planning and direction of the school is purposeful and achieves its stated aims. Staff feel supported and cared for.
Our community attunes to the message of Jesus as the Good Shepherd whose sheep know his voice, who gives his life for the sheep (John 10:14-17), John 10 talks about the deep and personal trusting relationship Jesus offers everyone. We aspire to develop such relationships in our community. Our children become responsible citizens who are able to make a positive contribution to today’s diverse society.
Staff listen to our children, their parents and carers. The deeper our understanding of each child, the greater the trust: the child knows our voice. At The Beacon, vulnerable children learn to thrive and, ultimately take responsibility for their successes in an environment of trust because staff model Jesus’s compassion and forgiveness. At times, everyone needs extra support. Our aim is for that child to recognise their trusted adults as the door, that they can come in and go out and find pasture (John 10:9).
At The Beacon, we recognise that everyone has times when they are in the role of the Shepherd, and times when they are the sheep and someone else is supporting us.
In these ways, our children become confident individuals who can positively face the successes and challenges of live. They become successful learners who can take their place in a constantly changing world.
On return from the first lockdown in September 2020, when asked what they were most looking forward to about returning to school, a child said, “… our One Big Beacon Family, because we are just like one really big family and I missed just being here.” The child’s description of One Big Beacon Family has stuck. Just as John 10 tells us, there will be one flock … there are other sheep that are not in this flock yet: we celebrate our One Big Beacon Family and are welcoming and inclusive: children and staff who join our school tell us this. Each person is different and as such is to be respected and celebrated, yet we are one flock: one family. Our children learn to become responsible citizens who are able to make a positive contribution to today’s society. Our children are Appreciative and respectful of other people’s uniqueness and talents and recognised and celebrated for their own. Children know they are loved, valued and respected for their unique talents. In school, our children take ownership of our vision, aims and values, encouraging and embodying our One Big Beacon Family.