Love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12) 

All aspects of school life are underpinned by the belief that God loves everyone as an individual so we should love and respect others and love ourselves as God loves us. The vision was developed from a parent and school survey where questions were asked to discover the best of Hope Hamilton and what the school means to everyone. 

This graphic was developed by school and Church leaders and through the talents of the PCC Secretary Wai Wing Wan to help everyone understand and remember our school Christian vision. It was important to present the vision as a graphic so everyone can understand it equally as there are many different languages spoken by school families and different faiths are practiced.

The purple words are the school learner qualities and the blue words, an interpretation of the survey responses, describe how we live out the vision. The vine represents the Trust the school belongs to and the grapes are because we are fruitful as learners and as people. 

Hamilton is a diverse area where people live in harmony and appreciation of the things that make us different and the things we have in common. The whole school curriculum is designed to enable children to love one another as they grow to become citizens and custodians of our world. Love is a strong verb and not one we use lightly! It's more than being kind and nice to each other - love is a challenge and makes a profound difference in the world. 

The Christian vision is about what we do rather than what we say, although faith is freely discussed and children have many opportunities to question and challenge their own views and those of others. Respect for different cultures and beliefs is an intrinsic part of the Christian vision and learning about other faiths is a vital part of the curriculum. Racism is not tolerated and children are taught to value and celebrate diversity and to be proud of who they are.

The Christian ethos is not so much something that is talked about as something that every child experiences everyday in ordinary school life. It is about the way they see others and themselves.

We hope that by being part of a caring, loving community they will grow in their understanding of their own beliefs, whatever they may be, and develop their own sense of self worth.

The principle that we are all loved by God for who we are underpins an emphasis on developing self esteem and on teaching children how to develop positive relationships and resolve conflicts peacefully.

For children who find relationships difficult or who lack self confidence and have low self esteem, a learning mentor provides support in small groups. Every classroom has a peace table which is used by the children to talk about their problems and resolve differences.

Children's successes are celebrated and shared, whilst also developing the view that we learn through our mistakes. They learn to forgive themselves as well as one other and learn to put things right when they get them wrong.

The staff aim to model positive relationships in the way they relate to the children and each other. Our 'no shouting' policy and the genuine care and concern by the staff for every child help each individual to feel valued, cared for and respected for who they are. Hugs and time spent listening are very much a part of relationships between staff and children as well as between the children themselves.

To find out what the Christian ethos means, ask the children. As the following article from the Leicester Mercury shows, they understand well what it means to 'love one another' and have no difficulty understanding how this can be possible with many religions working together in a community which lives according to an ethos that begins with being loved by God.