Gospel Values

Walking together with Jesus to Love, Learn and Serve

St Albert’s Gospel Values

‘We need to build up society in the light of the Beatitudes,

walking towards the Kingdom with the least among us.’ Pope Francis

‘Rooted in the teaching of Christ, these Gospel values should constitute the targets and outcomes of the educational enterprise in every Catholic School. For this to be possible, these Gospel values need to be explicitly named, their meaning unpacked and pupils helped to understand how they relate to their lives both at school, at home and in society.’ (Christ at the Centre, 2012, pg.16-17)

At St Albert’s school we target the following 10 gospel values

Kindness, Peace, Love, Justice, Integrity, Forgiveness, Simplicity, Humility, Compassion, Love, Hope

LOVE- Kindness, Peace, Love 

LEARN – Justice, Integrity, forgiveness

SERVE- Simplicity, Humility, Compassion,  Hope

School Mission – Walking together with Jesus to LOVE,

1. Kindness

Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”   Ephesians 4:32

• We teach our children how to be kind
• We teach our children to be kind to others
• We teach our children to be kind to themselves
• We promote kindness to strangers and those in need
• We promote charity work and kindness towards others who are less fortunate than us through promoting, supporting and understanding charity work
• We model compassion for others and lead by example
• We always use kind words
• We encourage kind deeds and small acts of kindness
• We reward and appreciate kindness
• We focus on kindness through our school rules (Be Kind)

Link with scripture- The Good Samaritan, The Sermon on the Plain, the Widow of Nain

Exemplars of Gospel Values in Action: Service of Neighbour, Mission Serve Focus, Mary’s Meals, Harvest Festival , St Theresa, Charitable  Work

2. Peace (tolerance and gentleness)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

• We are all unique and we celebrate our differences.
• We model how to resolve conflict peacefully by giving examples and modelling the language of talking through problems.
• We encourage children to resolve conflicts peacefully using restorative practice
• We are an anti-bullying school and we continually reinforce the importance of positive relationships with others.
• We have a NO hitting back approach.
• We respect different faiths and values.

Link with scripture- The Samaritan Village and The Betrayal of Jesus

Exemplars of Gospel Values in Action- Mahatma Ghandi, Pax Christi, Diversity Focus week, No Outsiders (All Are Welcome), Tim Parry Organisation

3. Love

Love is more important than anything else. It’s what ties everything completely together. Colossians 3:4

• We show our children how to love God
• We show our children how to love and care for God’s World
• We promote self love and developing our own uniqueness
• We teach love and respect others and celebrate differences
• We ensure high levels of physical and mental well being for all in our school community
• We develop a strong sense of personal character through social, moral , spiritual and cultural development
• We model and promote tolerance, empathy and understanding

Link with scripture-Love for Enemies, The Last Supper, The Passover, Abraham and Isaac, The Good Samaritan, Calming of the storm

Exemplars of Gospel Values in Action- Saint Peter, Saint Maximillian Kolbe, Trappist Monks, Mission Love Focus, All Are Welcome Resources, Anti- Bullying Focus, Other Faiths, Equality and Diversity focus

School Mission- Walking together with Jesus to LEARN

4. Justice (truth and honesty)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

• We have clear rules and boundaries for all children to help develop their understanding of fairness and justice.
• We model fairness and justice and provide opportunities for children to apply this independently.
• We treat everyone fairly in school and explore world wide issues with the children wherever possible  ie Votes for School and Information Station discussions
• We demonstrate an understanding of fairness and justice in the local community and the wider world. For example: contributions to the food bank, Cafod
• We are kind. Be kind – is one of our 4 school rules.
• We encourage sharing and taking turns.
• We help the children to develop an awareness of how to stay safe and where to go for help.
• We encourage honesty and that it always the best to tell the truth.
• We support the children in making the right choices

Link with scripture- Parable of the talents, Jesus cleanses the temple, Parable of the ten Pounds

Exemplars of Gospel Values in Action; Marin Luther King, Malaia Yousfzai

5. Integrity (honesty, truth telling and Faithfulness)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• We give thanks to God for our talents and achievements.
• We celebrate and recognise the talents and achievements of others.
• We make learning fun.
• We celebrate our work and the work of others. We believe in ourselves and encourage each other.
• We learn together, supporting different styles and ways of learning.
• We encourage high aspiration in our children so that they can be the best that they can be.
• We always try our best and are proud of our achievements.
• We celebrate our achievement and those of others.
• We inspire children to actively learn at home in many different ways.
• We deliver high quality teaching and experiences.
• We provide opportunities for children and families to participate in all the school has to offer.
• We include everyone.

Link with scripture- Moses and the Ten Commandments, The Lament over Jerusalem, Jesus Denounces Pharisees and Lawyers

Exemplars of Gospel Values in Action- Oscar Romero, Pope Francis

6. Forgiveness (mercy and reconciliation)

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

• We set high expectations of behaviour to develop positive relationships and be good role models.
• We treat others with care, respect, dignity, kindness and compassion.
• We teach that forgiveness is selfless, and it heals both parties.
• When children have made a wrong choice, as adults, we treat them with respect and care to help them understand what they have done and show them forgiveness.
• We promote a ‘Moving on’ attitude – everyday is a new day.
• We are positive role models.
• We admit mistakes and apologise when wrong.
• We are gentle and kind and talk things through with each child.
• We follow our positive behaviour policy.

Link with scripture- Love for Enemies, the Crucifixion of Jesus, Jesus appears to his disciples, The Prodigal Son, the story of Joseph, and Jesus at the well.

Exemplars of Gospel Values in Action: Restorative Practice, work with Anthony Walker Foundation, Chris Lobbe, Adam Ellison Organisation

School Mission- Walking together with Jesus to SERVE

7. Simplicity

What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?  Pope Francis

• We believe that simplicity is part of our calling as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
• We are responding to the Church’s call to live simply, so that others may live simply
• We foster a love of God’s Creation
• We ensure that our children experience and appreciate nature.
• We teach the children to care for our environment and understand their role as guardians.
• We model and promote sustainability and recycling.
• We actively look for ways to enable our children to live in solidarity with people who are poor.
• We prioritise outdoor learning and exploration.
• We encourage children to appreciate the small things in life.
• We actively look for ways in which our school can support the community and develop a sense of giving.

Link with scripture- The Parable of the dishonest Manager, the Rich Ruler, (Matthew 10:9-10,), “Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins.

Exemplars of Gospel Values in Action- Live Simply Award, Cafod, Saint Francis of Assisi, Forest School, Outdoor Learning, School of Sanctuary

8. Humility

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

• We help the children to value and respect others and themselves.
• We respect other children’s achievement and be proud of their own.
• We are an inclusive school and actively promote inclusion.
• We strive to create the correct environment for each individual child to reach their full potential.
• We work in partnership with parents and recognise them as their children’s first educators.
• We give support and guidance to children and their families and walk beside them in times of need.
• We support parents in anyway we can. We identify, share and act upon our worries about families who may be in difficult circumstances.

Link with scripture- Luke 14:7-12 Humility and Hospitality, The Parable of the Pharisee & the Tax Collector, Jesus Blesses the Little Children

Exemplars of Gospel Values in Action- Mary Mother of God, Saint Theresa Lisieux

9. Compassion (Service and dignity)

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

• We believe that we are all equal individuals, created in the image of God.
• We treat all children with respect and teach them about relationships and diverse families.
• We encourage all to respect each other and understand that others may have a different point of view.
• We consider each others’ feelings and provide comfort and care.
• We believe that each new day is a fresh start.

Link with scripture- Parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus and Zacchaeus

Exemplars of Gospel Values in Action- welcoming the needy to school, St Vincent De Paul Society and Mini Vinnies, Jean Vanier,

10. Hope

Hope does not disappoint us, because God poured out his heart into our hearts by his Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us. Romans 5:5

• We have high hopes and aspirations for our future, our school and community.
• We understand that faith gives us hope for both now and for the future,
• We believe that hope brings confidence.
• We teach the children that Hope means that there is always a future whatever situation we are in, because God promised to never leave us, to always love us, and to help us in times of need.
• We teach our children to believe that when we are in our darkest time, God is there, and will help us.
• We never giving up on our pupils and look for solutions to support when needed
• We want the best for our children
• We help children to see light despite the darkness.
• We invest in our pastoral team and work to support our children and their families.
• We share success stories with our children to develop aspirations
• We teach children that there is more than one way to reach a goal and support the development of problem solving skills

Link with scripture- Blessings and Woes, Peter Denies Jesus, the Ascension of Jesus, The woman who touched Jesus’ robe (“If I just touch his clothes I will be healed.”). The rainbow after the flood is a sign that God will never break his covenant of love with us. God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, when slavery seemed their destiny. The lost coin and the lost sheep tell us of the lengths God will go to bring us back.,

Exemplars of Gospel Values in Action – Olivia Kolbe Hope Festival, Work with Kind

Service and Sacrifice (Serve)

Although not one of our 10 Gospel Values,  service and sacrifice are integral to our Mission Statement – to Love, Learn and Serve.  Therefore…

• We act as a Church community.
• We endeavour to build the kingdom of heaven on earth
• We celebrate as a whole school community- involving families and governors in events.
• We organise a range of parent and grandparent workshops.
• We involve the community in services and assemblies.
• We host coffee mornings and celebrations
• We give to a wide variety of charities, often at the behest of our children.
• Our children give service to the local community through various activities including the choir performing at homes and shelters, involvement with local veterans, raising money for the good shepherd collection during Lent.
• We encourage all our children to be proud to share their beliefs and feelings.
• We encourage all out children to not afraid of being different – embrace and celebrate difference.