Values & Ethos

The Governors and staff of Bury Church of England High School are committed to the provision of a high quality education within the context of Christian values.

We want to help our pupils become fulfilled, self-motivated, independent, responsible, worshipping and caring members of society. We want them to set themselves high standards and aim for excellence in all they do. We want to help them to develop an enthusiasm for learning and to go on learning, developing and growing to become completely the people they have the potential to become.

At the heart of this commitment is the notion of the uniqueness and infinite worth of the individual, that every person’s being is valuable in the eyes of God.

We also believe that if each child feels valued as an individual with an important contribution to make then, in turn, each pupil will learn to value others.

We are determined to work to enable the school to:

• pursue its commitment to Christian values and principles, to be a worshipping community and to continue learning as it looks to Jesus Christ and faces the challenge of the Gospel in its life and work,
• sustain a broad and balanced curriculum which meets the needs of pupils, promotes their spiritual, moral, cultural, intellectual, emotional and physical development, encourages them in a healthy and safe lifestyle and prepares them for economic wellbeing and the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life,
• provide a positive environment in which all pupils, irrespective of ability, age,gender, ethnic or social background, may have equal opportunities to achieve their potential and to enjoy doing so,
• foster and maintain an ethos which is supportive to all members of the school community and enables them to use their talents to the full, encourages positive attitudes towards others and ensures that all feel valued, cared for and secure.
• promote strong collaboration with parents, the Church and the wider community to enable us to provide the best possible learning opportunities for our pupils and to serve and draw strength from our partners in society.

Christian Values

Our Christian faith is fundamental to what we do in a church school, yet we do not often stop to think how that faith directly impacts on the way we ‘do school’. The school motto of “Luceat Lux Vestra” or “Let your light shine” is central to what we are about as a learning community.

Our ‘Believe, Achieve, Inspire’ approach is all about putting the teaching of Jesus into practice. Jesus explained that the reason He had come was so that people “may have life in all its fullness” To embrace life to the full, young people need to believe in themselves, in God’s goodness and purpose for them, and that they can make a positive difference in this world. To enjoy that fullness of life, they need to achieve the best qualifications of which they are capable, the life skills to engage with the wider world with confidence and a sense of being at peace with God and themselves. To experience the breadth of that fullness they need to inspire others by their gifts and abilities, with their vision and passion and to join them in the adventure of life. In short, we are called to enable them to ‘Let their light shine before people that people may see their good work and give glory to their Father in heaven’.

Our role is to bring the heart of God to the heart of learning through what we teach and share with our young people during their time at Bury CE High School. It is also for us to seek to aspire to demonstrate the values associated with ‘Believe’, ‘Achieve’ and ‘Inspire’ in such a way that we live out in our learning community what experiencing life in all its fullness looks like so it is evident to everyone associated with our school. We all need to let our light shine so that Bury CE High School is a beacon for the kingdom of God in our community, bringing the heart of God to the heart of learning.