Aims, Ethos & Vision


Gainford Church of England Primary School and Preschool is a Voluntary Controlled Church of England school, with strong links with St. Mary’s Parish Church in Gainford and the wider church community The children, staff and volunteers are supported in a wide variety of ways to live within the deeply Christian values the school has; this Christian ethos pervades throughout the school.

The school’s vision is ‘Together we love, learn and flourish‘.

This is lived out through our distinctive Christian values , drawn up by our school community. These values are-

Caring – We care for each other and the world around us .
Supportive – We help each other to be the best we can be .
Inclusive – We value everyone
Respectful -We treat others how we would like to be treated ourselves .
Forgiving – We understand that we can all make mistakes
Honest – We are truthful to ourselves and to other people
Thankful – We are grateful for all of God’s gifts
Courageous – We face our fears together and aim high

We are a welcoming school with a warm, safe and inclusive atmosphere. The pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and our core Christian values sit at the heart of policy and our day-to-day practice.

At Gainford Primary we aim to deliver an exciting, inspiring, purposeful and challenging curriculum which is broad and balanced and encompasses not only the intellectual, physical and emotional growth of each child, but also their cultural, moral and spiritual development.

Recognising its historic foundation, Gainford Church of England Primary School and Preschool will preserve and develop the religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church at parish and diocesan level.
The school aims to serve its community by providing education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice, it encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith and promotes Christian values through the experience it offers all its pupils.

Gainford Primary welcomes all and reveres and respects all members of the diverse community as individuals who are known and loved by God.

We aim to provide a safe, welcoming and happy Christian school, set within both the local and global community where academic potential is fulfilled and positive values are nurtured.

The school aims to serve the communities of which it is a part,

a). by exciting a sense of wonder at the world;
b). by developing intellectual curiosity about the sum of human knowledge
and experience;
c). by encouraging all pupils to excel in as many areas of life as possible;
d). by stimulating an awareness and understanding of the Christian story,
particularly as it is focused on the life of Jesus Christ;
e). by being a community in which relationships of trust and forgiveness are
expected of all.

In all these ways our school works to be faithful to its foundation as a school within the Christian tradition as understood by the Church of England, but in the context of the evolving circumstances of life today.