DGAT Aims
MINCHINHAMPTON Aims & Principles
THE VISION:
We cherish all the people in our school
Our aim for them:
‘Life in all its fullness’
-for us this means
- people who are flourishing
- people who have the wherewithal to shape their own life well;
- people who take a delight in learning;
- people who are compassionate, who appreciate the value and preciousness of each and every person and all life on earth;
- hence people who help to make the world a better place.
https://www.minchacademy.net/our-vision-and-values/
‘I have come that you may have life in all its fullness‘ (John 10:10).
DGAT Principles
A DGAT school is a special place where the uniqueness of an individual school meets the power of collective capacity – together we are stronger as we seek to unlock the potential within our family.
Supporting individual schools to be confident, outward-facing and responsive to the needs of their unique locality is core to the organisation. This is coupled with a strong sense of ‘together we are something more than ourselves’.
Extracts from Minchinhampton’s Vision rationale and objectives
Spiritual Commitment & Trust
At the heart of this school’s vision is a commitment to all the people in it; to an ethos and an approach that nurtures the human spirit….
…to helping to provide people with what they need in order to thrive, to search for meaning and purpose and shared values, to reflect deeply, engage bravely and have hope, to dream big, live life well and smile plenty; ‘becoming aware of the truth has a liberating effect; it releases energy and defogs one’s mind. as a result one is more independent, has one’s centre in oneself, and is more alive.’ E Fromm The Art of Being p.43.
To achieve our vision we need strong relationships, we need to trust each other…. we need to find connection… to actively listen to each other… to be kind… to be an ethical community…
To achieve our vision we need to have integrity, to practice what we preach. The principles in this vision must permeate all thought and action; we must constantly and consistently model it. ‘I believe that education means to acquaint the young with the best heritage of the human race. But while much of this heritage is expressed in words, it is effective only if these words become reality in the person of the teacher and in the practice and structure of society. Only the word that has materialised in the flesh can influence man; the idea that remains a word influences only words.’ Erich Fromm Beyond The Chains of Illusion p.167
We look to find what is great inside all of our children: we want to dig it out and share it with the world.
…it follows that it has to be about all of us, adults and children alike…we are conspicuously child- centric when making decisions about the education we offer but as a community we are people- centric. Our vision holds for all members of the learning community from the youngest learners to school leaders, parents, educators and beyond.
…and it follows that we are committed to an education that benefits us all, to a socially just, more equal society.
We are all about the learning and constant ongoing development. We feel strongly that ‘to see the act of learning as something not for its own sake but because of what it will get you reduces the wonder of humanity. We are thinking, feeling, art-making, knowledge-hungry, marvellous animals, who understand ourselves and our world through the act of learning. It is an end in itself. It has far more to offer than the things it lets us write on application forms. It is a way to love living right now’ (Matt Haig).
An appreciation of difference.
- We embrace the enormous variety of interest and need amongst the people in our school as our raw material; as an awe inspiring, unpredictable, non-linear and ever- evolving challenge. When delivering the curriculum, we are committed to a very flexible approach so every individual has a chance to flourish.