Our Values

Kindness

We expect pupils at Thomas’s to be kind; to be good friends to those around them, always on the lookout for and ready to support those in need of a word of encouragement or a listening ear. 

Courtesy

We expect our pupils to be unfailingly courteous and polite; to have regard for the needs of others; to be responsible for the impact of their behaviour on those around them; to stand back, holding the door open, to allow adults through; to be particularly aware of the very young and the very old; not to ‘hog the pavement’ on school trips; to say “please” and “thank you” without prompting.

Honesty

We expect our pupils to be honest, to act with integrity at all times and to understand and uphold the
rule of law.

Respect

We encourage all members of the community to respect themselves, each other, their learning environment and the wider community. We expect our pupils not just to tolerate but to celebrate difference, to respect the right of others to hold differing beliefs or views and to develop an awareness of individual liberty. As our pupils become old enough to understand the characteristics protected by law, we look to them to challenge discrimination in all its forms and to foster healthy, positive relationships grounded in mutual respect.

Perseverance

We would like our pupils to appreciate the importance of, and to show, perseverance; to acquire a ‘growth mindset’ by understanding that intelligence can be developed; to embrace challenges; to persist in the face of setbacks; to see effort as the path to mastery; to learn from criticism; to find lessons and inspiration in the success of others and, as a result, to reach ever-higher levels of achievement and a greater sense of free will.

Independence

We would like our pupils to become independent learners; to work hard; to be responsible, organised and to manage their belongings effectively. In the classroom, we would like them not only to make valid contributions, but also to be good listeners, who respect and encourage the efforts of their peers.

We hope that, as a result of their lessons at school, our pupils will begin to take responsibility for their personal learning, reading around subjects that interest them, carrying out their own research and making full use of the many excellent resources available to them.

As a result, we would like our pupils to gain a growing sense of enquiry and wonder about the world around them; about the vast body of knowledge and skills that has brought mankindto where we are today – and about how much there is still to learn.

Confidence

We expect our pupils to acquire self-knowledge by encountering both success and failure in an environment of support and encouragement, both at school and at home. Consequently, they should be ‘comfortable in their own skin’, full of self-confidence, yet always free of arrogance, and able to make sound judgements. We would like our pupils to become their best selves, not a second-hand version of someone else.

Leadership

We aim to equip our pupils to lead by example and to recognise service as a powerful form of leadership; to be prepared to stand out from the crowd; to be the first to respond to someone in need; to stand up for what they believe to be right; to challenge what they know to be wrong; to risk making an unpopular decision, if they believe it to be for the greater good; to earn the trust and respect of others. We hope that our pupils will experience at an early age the opportunities and challenges of leadership.

Humility

Notwithstanding their confidence, our pupils are expected to retain a sense of humility; to be without arrogance; to be conscious of the advantages they enjoy and to show gratitude for them by putting them to best use by helping others. We hope that all our pupils will acquire a sense of the eternal and that this will inform their perspective of their place in the world.

Givers, Not Takers

Above all, we would like our pupils to be givers, not takers; to show generosity of spirit; to use their skills and talents first for the benefit of others. We hope that our students will leave their school with a strong sense of social responsibility, set on a path to become net contributors to society and to flourish as successful, conscientious and caring citizens of the world.