Faith in our children - the hope for the future

"The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."

John 1:5

The beginning of John’s Gospel says, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” Throughout his life Jesus gave hope to others as he ushered in the Kingdom of God, proclaiming good news to the poor. Jesus’ death and resurrection demonstrate that evil can never ultimately triumph over love. This gives us hope for our lives now, knowing that through Jesus we can “live life to the full” and it also gives us a future hope of eternal life when God’s kingdom comes in all its fullness “on earth as it is in heaven”.

We crafted the vision so that while it is deeply rooted in our contextual needs and biblical understanding, the vision can also be understood and interpreted in a way which is accessible for people of all faiths and worldviews.

Our Christian Values are at the centre of everything we do at Rimrose Hope CE Primary School. We have identified seven core values and these are: Creation, Friendship, Wisdom, Service, Justice, Endurance and Hope.  Each term, we focus on a different Christian Value. This is done explicitly through our Collective Worship time, but also throughout our curriculum and the Hope Award scheme. Children have regular opportunities to reflect on each value and to develop an understanding of the Value in action. 

Hope

The beginning of John’s Gospel says ‘The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.’ Throughout his life Jesus gave hope to others and the resurrection of Jesus shows us that evil can never ultimately triumph over love.

Hope is a core value for our church school because we share in the joy that comes from the belief that there is always hope and all is never lost.

Hope is an attitude of mind that we develop through faith in God and each other. In our school this helps is to keep going even when things get hard and when we face new challenges. Together we can turn hope into reality.

 Friendship

At Rimrose Hope, we are all friends as we want the very best for each other. True friendship enables people to grow and ensures that the unique individuality of each person is recognised. It can take a long time to learn how to be a great friend, someone who can be trusted and relied upon. To have friends first one needs to be a friend. All this echoes the value placed by God on the preciousness of each person and the values that Jesus displayed through his friendship with his disciples.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.” 1 John 4:7

Justice

The justice revealed in the Bible is always seen in the context of love. It includes the call to take responsibility for one another, especially the poor and oppressed, and to see that no one is excluded from the essentials of life. 

'Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Help people who are in trouble. Stand up for what you know is right, and judge all people fairly. Protect the rights of the poor and those who need help.' 

Proverb 31:8-9

Endurance

Endurance is recognition that life is sometimes difficult and painful and that it is important not to give up in the face of adversity. Endurance and perseverance are only possible where there is hope and that hope is based on the enduring nature of God’s love and faithfulness.

At Rimrose Hope this means that we don't give up as soon as things go wrong. We know that we can learn from mistakes and keep improving.  Even when we are faced with challenges we remember that we are not alone. 

Wisdom

Wisdom is more than just knowledge; it is a proper understanding of the consequences of our thoughts, words and actions. The wise person recognises their own limitations, trusts in God and understands that there is more to like than may be seen on the surface. The Bible often points out that this is God’s wisdom, often the opposite of ‘the wisdom of the world’. At Rimrose Hope this means that we ask questions, listen, reflect and learn about each other and the world around us. We try to use our knowledge, skills and experiences to make positive choices. We think about our words and actions before we use them and consider how our actions, big or small, will affect others.  

Service

"Serve each other with love."

Galatians 5:13

Jesus was called the 'servant king'; his mission was to serve God and to serve all those people he met, through his teaching, his example and the way he led his life. At Rimrose Hope, we are constantly looking for ways we can serve others in school, at home and in the local community.

Creation

                    "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."

            Genesis 1:31

God the creator cares for creation, including human beings. As human beings are part of God's good creation, they do best when they listen to God. Christians believe that God created our wonderful world and so we should look after it. Our children take their role as stewards of the earth very seriously and actively look for ways in which they can take care of each other, our school, our community and our world.