Our Vision

Treat others as you

would like to be treated.

(Matthew 7:12)

At Great Tey CE (VC) Primary school, our vision is a school where pupils show empathy and compassion, both for their peers and members of the school and local communities, but also for the wider world.  Our vision is that children will leave Great Tey ready and able to be Agents of Change, tackling injustice in the World and using the opportunities and the voice they have been given to ensure everyone is treated equally as valued children of God.

Why did we select this as our vision?

Great Tey is a unique and special place.  It is a small village school, catering for the village of Great Tey and the surrounding area, but it is also, as  a small school, a safe and nurturing environment for children with additional needs.  We have well above average numbers of children with autism and other special needs who flourish at Great Tey.  We also support an above average number of disadvantaged pupils, or those who are eligible for Pupil Premium.  We wanted our vision to reflect this - to reflect that every individual, whatever their ability, need or situation, is valuable as part of our school community and worthy of respect, understanding and friendship.

How does our vision impact on life at Great Tey?

1. Our vision supports our pupil's spiritual development.

“There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. “ Albert Einstein

Spirituality is the essence of life.  It can be found in every faith and culture, and goes beyond the limits of one religion. It is the sense that ‘there is more to life than this’.  It encompasses emotions, physicality, our senses, faith and peace. Exploring spirituality allows us to step back and reflect on why we do what we do in our schools, and also how we do it. It can help us be more intuitive and sensitive. It can connect us more deeply to nature and our precious planet through moments of 'awe and wonder'. It can make us more aware of the things we have in common with others despite our differences. At times of stress, spirituality is often where we turn.  

(Exploring Spirituality in the Primary School - David Holmes)

At Great Tey, spirituality is developed through our contact with the world around us and, in particular, our exploration of our beautiful school grounds and the wildlife that lives in or near or school. It is developed through our collective and community worships and our reflections during worship.  It is developed through our core values, and through exploring peace and harmony in school.  Our vision allows us to explore what peace and harmony look like and why they are important to us all.  In considering how we want to be treated, we can consider more than just material things and can look further into taking care of our souls.

2. Our vision supports our pupil's personal and social development. 

"Be the change you want to see

in the World."   Ghandi

It enables us to have conversations about how we treat and speak to others in the classroom and the playground.  It enables us to consider how we want to be treated when we are sad, happy, worried, angry and to consider whether this is the same for everyone.  As a school, we value our inclusive ethos and our 'family' feel - part of this work is to ensure that our pupils value and respond to differences as well as similarities, so that they can show compassion and empathy for all those they will meet as they grow to adulthood.  Our vision supports our work on learning about different cultures and faiths, and recognising our common humanity.

3. Our vision supports our pupil's academic learning.

"Tell me and I forget.  Teach me and I remember. 

Involve me and I learn."  Benjamin Franklin

Our vision underpins the right of all pupils to learn in ways that are appropriate to them, and the responsibility of others to allow this to happen.  It allows us to have conversations about disruption in the classroom, and the impact this has on ourselves, our learning and on others.  It involves our children in considering their self-control and responsibility.  It widens our curriculum to look at ways we can care for our World and the people in it, and to talk about times in the past when this has not happened.