Christian Values
At St Philip Westbrook Church of England Primary School we all work together to achieve our vision of ‘Together we aim high and with God’s love we can fly.” Christian values are at the heart of our teaching and learning and we encourage all of our children to put these values into practice in every aspect of school life. Our values are:
“Values such as fellowship, perseverance, trust and compassion are firmly seen in pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils know these are fundamental values for a caring cohesive society and understand how these underpin the school rules.” Ofsted Report 2018
Christian values of fairness and fellowship, carefully selected by the pupil ethos team, exude an uncompromising mission for Christian compassion. Pupils are impressive in their ability to quote biblical references relating to their school’s vision and values. They apply these beliefs to all relationships and attitudes to work. Consequently, behaviour in school in excellent and academic standards in all subjects are high.’ SIAMS 2019
Our Christian values, and our fundamental British values, also lead our daily worship. Together we further develop our understanding and explore their meaning, applying them to our own lives.
Courageous Advocacy
As part of the excellent Christian education we offer our pupils at St. Philip’s, we aim to give our pupils the opportunity to engage in social action and help them to understand how they can challenge injustice. This is called ‘courageous advocacy’. When we use the term ‘courageous advocacy’ we are referring to the act of speaking out against an issue of injustice, often on behalf of those whose voice is not heard. Speaking out, at whatever level this takes place, requires an element (and sometimes a great deal) of courage!
One way we do this is to encourage our children to consider the the climate crisis debate and we invite them to think about what they can do to protect our natural environment. Our pupils consider the threats to the environment and the action they could take to make a difference. In the video below, you will find information about the courageous advocacy work we have done to ‘speak out’ about the damage we are doing to the natural world and the climate.
Our school has also been featured in the media for the work we do in protecting the natural environment. We featured in an episode of Countryfile and were visited by the BBC’s Matt Baker. One of our children also reached the final of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, performing poetry which aimed to raise awareness of environmental issues.
Teaching Courageous Advocacy takes high priority at St. Philip’s. We believe that, by encouraging our children to consider important issues and the action they can take, we are producing citizens with the potential to change the world. One of our pupils was so inspired by the environmental work we did when he was in reception, he chose to speak out as a true courageous advocate by entering Britain’s Got Talent. Aneeshwar firstly appeared on the show and reached the grand final; he then took his courageous message further. He then appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2022.
In Year 4 we have been learning all about air pollution and the effects on our health. As a class we wrote a letter to our MP Charlotte Nichols and Miss Buckard will be presenting it to her at the Clean Air Symposium in Warrington on Friday 31st March 2023. We also hope that our video will be opening the conference so that Councillors and MP’s can listen to our concerns and help us to be courageous advocates.
The Kennedy Centre Cultural Exchange Programme
During the spring term of 2024, a group of our Year 4 children had the opportunity to take part in a cultural exchange programme, organised by the Kennedy Centre in Washington. This was a wonderful piece of courageous advocacy work which enabled our children to learn more about the lives of people in a contrasting location and to develop an understanding of how the choices we make in our lives in the UK can impact upon those in other countries. You can learn more about this excellent programme here:
Reach to Forest Cultural Exchange program newsletter
Campaign to Save Westbrook Library 2025
The school council has shown remarkable dedication in supporting our local community, particularly in their efforts to help save Westbrook Library. Motivated by a strong sense of purpose, the council wrote to local councillors to express their concerns. In response, the councillors visited the school to discuss the importance of the library with the children.
When the council consultation was launched, the children came together to brainstorm ideas to further their campaign. They decided to organise a peaceful procession through the local area to raise awareness and inform residents on how to get involved. They shared links to the consultation and encouraged members of the community to have their say. Our local councillors also joined the walk, showing their support for the cause.
Warrington Guardian Peaceful March
As a school, we are committed to being at the heart of our community and have worked closely with parents, local residents, and council representatives to support the campaign to keep our library open. Staff and children alike have been involved in raising awareness, attending meetings, and actively showing their support for this vital local service. It has been wonderful to see everyone come together with a shared sense of purpose, underlining just how important the library is to so many people.
We are also incredibly proud of one of our pupils, who attended a full council meeting to raise a key question about the future of our local library. Speaking confidently and articulately in front of councillors, officers, and members of the public, they presented their question with passion and clarity. The pupil not only demonstrated outstanding courage but also followed up with a thoughtful and well-considered response, leaving a lasting impression on everyone in the chamber. It was a fantastic example of a pupil having a voice in their community — and using it brilliantly. Warrington Guardian Local Council Meeting
Alongside this, our school’s mental health group played a key role by creating a powerful video highlighting the benefits of the library for wellbeing and community connection. The video explored how the library provides a welcoming space for reading, reflection, and social interaction — all of which play an important part in supporting mental health. The group’s thoughtful and creative work added another meaningful voice to the campaign and helped to remind the community just how valuable the library is for people of all ages.
The campaign’s impact has reached even further than we could have imagined. As well as local media coverage in the Warrington Guardian and features on BBC Radio Merseyside and BBC Radio Manchester, the children’s efforts have captured attention much further afield. We were delighted to receive an email from a scientist in America who had heard about the campaign and wanted to share support, praising the pupils for standing up for such an important community resource. She included the following quote in her email: “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” by Charles William Eliot (President of Harvard University, 1869–1909)
It’s been truly inspiring to see how the children’s passion and hard work have resonated with people both locally and internationally.