Theological Rationale

Wentworth Primary School Theological Rationale

At Wentworth, we nurture a compassionate community where everyone flourishes, rooted in a Christian environment that reflects God’s love and purpose for us all.

Rooted in community
Working with hope
Leading with love

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
1 Corinthians 16:13

Through a love of learning, a curious mind and the awe and wonder of the world around us, we grow into the people God calls us to be. Guided by God’s plan and inspired by Christ’s example, we embrace challenge, strive to improve and recognise the difference we can make for others.

At Wentworth we take this vision of prosperity and human flourishing, as the basis for our “6R” Behaviours.

In the Spirit of Christ we take Responsibility

Reflecting a God who is Trinity we work through Reciprocity

Creating an education in wisdom we learn Reflectiveness

Through challenges, in hope, we show Resilience

Like the God who is creator, we are a school of Resourcefulness

Loving neighbour as oneself we nurture Respectfulness
Responsibility The Church of England Vision for Education sets our horizon for education. It notes that Jesus was a learner, but crucially affirms that “he also breathed his Spirit into his followers so that they could be led further into the truth (John 16:13).” Such passing on of responsibility for learning is the spirit in which we seek to educate. This is aligned to the parables of Jesus that inspire his followers to think ahead and take responsibility, such as the two builders (Matthew 7:24-27) or the parable of the builder who did not plan ahead (Luke 14:28-30).
At Wentworth Primary, through the experiential learning offered to our pupils, they are supported to grow in to confident and aware individuals. We instil in them a sense of responsibility and organisation. At the heart of our learning we nurture responsibility, initiative, creativity and enterprise, which can include risk taking and involves positive responses to change.
Reciprocity “It has been said beautifully and profoundly, that our God in his most inner mystery is not solitude, but a family.” [1] In our school mantra, ‘prosper’ comes from a togetherness. This reflects the life of God as trinity: God as togetherness in one. 
 We believe that working confidently with others and collaborative relationships are at the heart of human flourishing and learning. In the words of the Church of England’s Vision for Education: “The God of wisdom, love, compassion and peace, in whose image we are created, is utterly relational.” [2] 
 In line with Paul’s image of the body of Christ, [3] in which different parts work together, we promote working together we affirm that prosperity comes from togetherness, in which the individual recognises their role and listens and accounts for the life and success of others. To do this, we need to value fairness and consideration towards others.
 
Reflectiveness Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consdier your ways (Haggai !:5) Reflection is a key feature of a spirited approach to life. Wisdom – the reflection on life – is at the heart of the Bible and also a key component of the Church’s Vision for Education. Psalms such as Psalm 19 or the wisdom of Proverbs reflect on natural and human experience. Our ethos is to work together to nurture and support everyone to ensure our school community experience a sense of awe and wonder, provoking curiosity to drive the culture of being life-long learners.
To do this we encourage self-awareness and self-reflection, through which learners reflect on their own performance and progress, evaluating their strengths and limitations.
This also involves a positive approach to feedback and criticism, in keeping with the Biblical Proverb “If you listen to advice and are willing to learn, one day you will be wise” (Proverbs 19:20)
Resilience In his vision of Christian life as a race, Paul presents an image of resilience and pressing forward towards a goal [4] At Wentworth, we educate for hope and aspiration, promoting a ‘can do’ approach that will value challenge and be invigorated by the chance to problem solve. Through challenges, in hope, we show resilience, inspired by a faith of cross and resurrection, of new life and of hope. We teach our children to press on and persevere in hope, sharing the Church of England’s inspiration that “Jesus and the love he embodies are at the heart of our faith, offering hope that wrongdoing and sin, suffering, evil and death are not the last word about reality.”
 
Resourcefulness Watch for the new thing I am going to do.
It is happening already—you can see it now!
I will make a road through the wilderness
and give you streams of water there. (Isaiah 43:19)
The God of the Bible is a God of resourcefulness: God is inherently creative and imaginative. [5] At Wentworth we teach our children to think creatively by generating and exploring relevant ideas, and making original connections. The skills that we instil in each of our learners, both adult and children ensure that they have a thirst for knowledge, are motivated to learn together and that they take the lead in their own personal development. 
 Spirituality is about asking some of the deeper questions in life, and it is our vision that our children’s learning should be enriched by asking ‘why’, ‘how’ and ‘what if’ questions. We also recognise the Biblical emphasis on imagination, described as ‘the prophetic imagination’ and recognise that, as a school it is our vocation “to keep alive the ministry of imagination.” [6]
 
Respectfulness When challenged about the greatest commandments Jesus cited the love of God, then alongside placed: Love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:39b)
At Wentworth Primary we echo the Church of England Vision, when it states that: “The centrality of relationships in education is inspired by our conviction that the love Jesus taught and lived is at the heart of reality.” [7] We follow the command of 1 Peter 2:17 and “Show proper respect to everyone” noting that the word translated ‘respect’ here is rooted in the way we value or consider one another – and is basically about how we see each other. In our school this translates into the value placed upon respect for oneself and one another , with an emphasis on thoughtfulness. We expect everyone to have a thoughtful approach towards the opinions, beliefs and feelings of others. This also translates into a respect for the environment – both the school and wider environs of our community and world.
  

 

[1] John Paul II quoted in Boff, L. Holy Trinity, Perfect Community Orbis Books p. [2] Church of England Vision for Education p.8 [3] 1 Corinthians 12: 12-2 [4] Philippians 3:13-14

[5] Jeremiah 10:12; Isaiah 43:19 [6] Walter Brueggemann The Prophetic Imagination p.40  [7] Church of England Vision for Education p.11