Our Christian Character

Our Christian Faith and its Values are the foundation of all that we do at Totternhoe CE Academy. Our Christian Vision, Ethos and Aims are firmly embedded in our practices, the children’s behaviour towards each other and their learning and the way in which our communities interact with each other.

We are proud to have an exceptionally distinctive Christian Character for our families and children. Our understanding of biblical teaching gives a full and rich education for our children.

We warmly welcome children, families and staff of all faiths and none. Our atmosphere of inclusivity, purpose, love and forgiveness is commented on by our staff, children, parents and visitors to our school. We celebrate our cultural diversity! This is because of the strength of our Christian Character; the golden thread that runs through the heart of our school.

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Our Vision

An excellent, nurturing education, valuing and respecting all. Everyone enjoying and exploring life in all its abundance, sharing our unique gifts, whilst growing together in love and understanding of the Christian faith.

'Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.' 1 Peter 4:10a

'With God's love, we seek adventure  with our minds and find a home for our hearts.'
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Our school vision and Christian values underpin all that we do at Totternhoe. All members of the school community played an active part in the rewriting of our school vision. Reverend Kaushal, staff, children and parents considered the aims and context of Totternhoe, guided by the school's ongoing journey.

​ Our vision has played a key part in the development of our curriculum review and identifies the following aspects that form some of the key elements of our new curriculum.

Our school is a happy, busy place with children and staff who have a range of faiths, represent a range of cultures and who speak a range of languages. We value the diverse ethnic backgrounds of all in our school community and undertake a variety of events and lessons to celebrate this. We have found this approach to be enriching for all parties as it teaches tolerance and respect for the differences in our community and the wider world. Each individual person is valued and respected and our aim of "With God's love, we seek adventure with our minds and find a home for our hearts” represents our wish for all children to excel and be recognised in their own right in a safe and secure ethos.

 Totternhoe CE Academy has clear values based on Christianity and these underpin our ethos, our vision and our behaviour for learning policy. Our Governors, staff and parents believe that our school values include key values of British society such as tolerance, freedom, justice, liberty and community/collective responsibility. 

Children love to experience events that we celebrate from a range of faiths, cultures and languages, but also love the uniquely British events we enjoy each year. Many of the activities are linked to our role in the village community and in our support of village events/village community groups.

British culture, values and identity are woven into our school life and our curriculum in addition as we celebrate the church year we include many events, services and festivals that are embedded within British culture.

British Values  - What do we do?

Fundamental British values are promoted through our values based education and the curriculum. Children develop their understanding and knowledge of fundamental British values in the following ways:

 • School Council and House  captain elections and procedures support children in developing an understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process.

 • Through clear expectations and boundaries in school, children develop an appreciation that having rules keeps everyone safe. This, coupled with visits from our local community police officers, develops the understanding that living under the rule of law protects individual citizens and is essential for their well-being and safety.

• Promoting values such as harmony, unity, acceptance and tolerance supports the development of an understanding that the freedom to choose and hold other faiths and beliefs is important in a civilized world and is protected in law. Such values also develop children’s acceptance that other people having different faiths or beliefs should be accepted and tolerated, and that we can all live harmoniously together.
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• Through our values based education, children develop appreciation of fairness, friendship and empathy, understanding what discrimination and unfair behaviour looks like and how to combat it.