Long Term Strategy – Guiding Principles

Purpose

· The vision, values and ethos of the school remain strongly rooted in its Christian foundation. 

· Every child, at each stage of their school journey, makes strong progress from their individual starting points. 

· Our school provides a rich and engaging curriculum which encourages a deep and meaningful connection to life and learning. 

· Our school is valued as a core part of our community and local area. 

· We look to continually develop and improve our people, processes and systems. 

· Our premises, resources and school environment are maintained to a high standard to provide the best opportunity for our children and staff to thrive. 

· We continually review our governance structure to ensure it fully supports the ongoing development of our school, its pupils and staff.

This document has been drawn up by representatives of the staff and governing body of Norton CEVC Primary School to create a set of strategic guidelines to guide future development and decision-making. These broad-based principles will inform all key decisions over the next five years. They will be reviewed annually to ensure they remain relevant to our vision and values.

In essence, this is setting the long-term direction for the school so that everyone is clear on where we are going and what we are trying to achieve.

How Governors support the School Vision

Purpose

Learn

• As governors, we aim to learn from each other, recognising and valuing the balance of gifts and experience we bring to the team.

• We aim to be alert to the needs of the communities we serve; open to learning from parents, staff, and children.
• We aim to keep our knowledge of our tasks up to date and relevant in the current education climate, both locally and nationally.
• We support the whole school as a learning community, making sure that attention is given to staff development for the further benefit of the children. 

Believe 

• The values of the Christian faith are a firm foundation for life and learning.
• We believe that every child is unique and valued.
• The Christian ethos of the school informs our work; in the way we make decisions, treat others and want the best for every child.
• In an education that aims to provide equality of opportunity for each child.
• In supporting the school, giving the children as broad an education as possible, so that they may be better able to develop their gifts and be prepared for the future. 

Achieve

• We aim to support the staff in achieving excellent standards of education for the children at Norton School and imparting an attitude of life-long learning. 
• A school community that works well together based on relationships of trust.
• A school that stands up to scrutiny from outside agencies.
• A school that can adapt to change in national education policy.
• A school that is on a firm financial footing and able to withstand difficulty and change.

A number of years ago, governors agreed a set of statements as to how they support the School Vision.

These statements are a set of ongoing day-to-day commitments as to how governors contribute to achieving the school vision.

In essence, they deal with the here and now and should contribute to achieving the long-term strategy.