Mission
Our mission is for pupils to learn
‘the best that has been thought and said’ and to know that they are loved by God.
VISION
Learning the best that has been thought & said
Our mission is twofold, firstly to enable pupils to learn about the best that had been thought and said. We are all the inheritors of the greatest ideas, writings and discoveries of the past. Our curriculum is designed to enable pupils to learn about these ideas, taught by teachers with great expertise and knowledge.
Our aim is for pupils to not only leave with great qualifications, but also a rich education where they will have read great literature, studied the ideas of philosophers, appreciated art and music, explored the most fascinating scientific discoveries and much more, becoming thoughtful and educated human beings.
Knowing that we are loved
At the heart of Saint Martin’s is our Christian mission, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11. All have been called and are treasured by the God. Our core purpose is to enable our pupils to know that they are loved; to realise their God-given potential. This means providing children, from all abilities and backgrounds, with an ambitiously academic curriculum where pupils succeed through excellent teaching, uncompromising standards and behaviour and relentless care. We therefore expect no excuses, exemplary behaviour from all pupils.
TEACHING & LEARNING
At Saint Martin’s, in order for all pupils to achieve academic excellence, we deliver a knowledge-rich curriculum where teachers are the experts whose role it is to convey their knowledge and expertise to pupils. We believe that all pupils are entitled to learn about ‘The best which has been thought and said’ (Matthew Arnold). Our plans are inspired by some remarkable schools that have already embarked upon this project, the rationale for which is outlined here by Joe Kirby in his educational blog, Pragmatic Reform.
We have developed a Knowledge-rich curriculum, designed to develop memory and a student’s ability to recall information. Intelligence is malleable, in other words, pupils who put in more effort, who practise, who learn and memorise more ideas and knowledge are able to develop greater expertise and thereby become more intelligent than those who do not. Individual facts are of little use, however, if you acquire more factual knowledge, you are able to build a mosaic of information that is a prerequisite for deep understanding. In essence, the more you know, the more you are able to learn and understand. Knowledge is like Velcro, the more you have, the more that sticks.
‘Higher-order thinking is knowledge-based: The almost universal feature of reliable higher-order thinking about any subject or problem is the possession of a broad, well-integrated base of background knowledge relevant to the subject’. E D Hirsch
