Our Vision & Values

Values, Purpose and Ambitions

Our Values

Taught by Jesus Christ, faith, hope and love inspire everything we do. We aim for the highest standards of learning, and we look for the development of wisdom. In this way the gifts possessed by every individual can be valued.

Our Purpose

St Augustine’s exists to provide a Catholic education in order to develop independent citizens of the future.

“Develop…” because those who come to St Augustine’s are individuals, each with their own quirks and characteristics. We do not aim to produce clones.

“… independent…” because self-respect, self-motivation and courage are required if one is truly to live one’s life according to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

“…Catholic…” because we believe that the Catholic faith provides the best guidance for living a fulfilled adult life, for members of the Catholic Church as well as for non-members.

“…citizens…” because education is a gift whose fruit is to be re-invested in society: we are called to serve others in whatever way we can. Liberty and Equality cannot be absolute values, but Fraternity can.

“…of the future” because, if we get it right, our leavers will be applying the lessons learned at St Augustine’s for decades to come; in that time they will use the skills they have acquired to learn, unlearn and relearn the things they will need to know to face the challenges that the future brings.

Our Ambitions

We do not shrink from expecting that our alumni will change the world. Whether their contributions will be written up in the history books or known and acknowledged only by their families and friends, their goodness will matter.

We expect them to leave the college equipped with the St Augustine’s SPIRIT:

Self-Control: effort, perseverance, resilience, responsibility, grit, self-worth

Positivity: enthusiasm, optimism, joy, can-do attitude, gratitude

Integrity: honesty, forgiveness, faithfulness, humility, sincerity

Respect: loving kindness, compassion, empathy, acceptance, courtesy

Initiative: curiosity, imagination, leadership, wisdom, creativity, resourcefulness

Teamwork: community spirit, generosity, helpfulness, peacemaker

We are a school for the real world. We believe that these strengths will equip them for employment and for a fulfilled adult life.

Our pastoral care for our students will be second to none: we know that their physical and emotional wellbeing is a precondition to their learning well. Our staff will go beyond teaching to accompany the students on their journey through the college, doing everything they can to support dynamic development and growth. When things go wrong we will respond with forgiveness and a restorative approach.

We will help to build in each student a foundation of spirituality that will survive the crowdedness of modern life.

Our academic curriculum will cover the full range of the intellectual virtues. It will balance creativity with academic rigour, and we will not compromise our academic aspiration for each student. We will introduce each one to the best that has been thought and said. Our students’ performance in public exams will remain in the top bracket.

We will be among the best employers in the education world, ensuring that our staff are offered training in the most up to date teaching and learning research, and that their work-life balance is protected.

We will encourage our students to be “the best they can be”, whatever their talent, whether it be sheep shearing or philosophy.

Those who have special educational needs or physical disabilities will be full members of our community – and their teachers and peers will understand their difficulties as fully as possible.

We will value all kinds of diversity and ensure that the evils of prejudice on grounds of disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation are driven from the school.

We will provide a clean, safe and efficient physical environment to maximise the opportunity for learning.

Our students will learn and never forget compassion for the vulnerable in society. They will use their talents for the good of others in a world that needs healing through mutual love, the steadfast seeking of justice for the poor, sick and vulnerable, and the demonstration of mercy. They will have the courage to “proclaim the Gospel to all creation”, to the greater glory of God.

Our College Improvement Plan 2023-26

The purpose of the original improvement plan (2022/23) had been to develop an integrated improvement plan that would drive sustainable improvement following the Ofsted judgement of November 2021. The overall intention remains as we seek to develop our Lasallian Catholic College into an outstanding centre of excellence in educational provision and training. This current plan seeks to utilise the opportunity for us to continue to grow in our capacity and effectiveness, through a co-ordinated and integrated approach, as we move towards our improvement goal. The four key areas of focus remain and the foundations laid throughout 2022/23, now need to become embedded practice in order to secure sustainable future growth.

1) The continued development of a whole-College focus on ‘Inclusion’ that reflects our Catholic Lasallian values, where all students are challenged and supported, with the highest levels of expectation to maximise their potential.

2) The continued development and embedding of a high-quality curriculum which is accessible to all and is sequenced in a way that inspires and challenges students of all abilities, to make progress and to maximise their potential as independent leaners.

3) The continued development and embedding of effective teaching skills which makes the curriculum accessible to all, so as to promote through an effective use of assessment, a love of learning, that inspires independence for life-long learning.

4) The continued development of the capacity of leadership at all levels which is focused on the Catholic Lasallian vision for our College, so as to maximise all opportunities for learning, spiritual and professional development in an integrated and co-ordinated way.

CIP summary 2023-26