School Vision and Christian Ethos
At BFA we are a community that cares deeply about each and every child. As a Church of England School, not only do we want to provide all children with a lifelong love of learning, but we are also driven to ensure that all students are supported and cared for, so they flourish into young people who are safe, secure, and can make a positive difference in God’s world.
“Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23)
Our Christian ethos encourages students to embody our values of:
- Respect: Practicing kindness, trust, and dignity.
- Growth: Embracing challenges and striving for excellence.
- Community: Building belonging and shared responsibility.
At BFA staff and students understand spirituality as the four points of a compass. Growing in awareness of each point shapes our spiritual journey.
Our Spirituality Compass helps all staff and students to navigate through life with an awareness of Spirituality.
Growing in awareness of the individual elements of the compass and how this affects us is how we grow spiritually.
The Points of the Compass
For some, their “True North” will be God, for others it may be different guiding values. Recognising our source of guidance in life helps shape our Selves, how we interact with Everyone around us, and our view of the World.
Collective Worship opportunities are shaped by this understanding of spirituality, and the need to consider these elements – especially our True North.
Our chaplaincy provides pastoral support to students and staff, leads on collective worship, helps to set the vision and values of the school and arranges a wide range of groups and activities. We hold groups to explore the Christian faith, deal with life issues, and on specific topics such as relationships and self-esteem.
We work in partnership with a number of organisations and individuals to help invest in our young people, including local Church of England churches, the local Salvation Army, Prime Time, and e:merge.
Lindon Craven is our chaplain and leads our chaplaincy service.
He can be contacted on 01274 019406 or at
lindon.craven@bfa.bdat-academies.org
