Theological Underpinning

We are proud of our links with our local parish church, St John the Baptist, Baston. We are particularly encouraged by the story of John the Baptist in Luke’s gospel. We value the fact that the author of Luke’s gospel seeks to tell the story from the perspective of the more vulnerable and disadvantaged people in Jesus’ time and place, including John the Baptist’s mother and his cousin Jesus’ mother, Mary. This is a valuable example of God’s inclusive love of every human being. We notice the importance of Jesus seeking to be baptised by his cousin, which indicates that he, like everyone else, should be included in the community of those seeking to see God’s salvation (Luke 2.6). This speaks into our commitment to ensuring everyone is included in our school community.

John the Baptist was a prophet; he is able to see the world not only as it is, but also as it could be. The words Luke uses to describe him connect him to a long tradition of prophets in Judaism (Luke 2.4-6). Like them, John the Baptist inspires those around him to consider another way of living by challenging them to reflect on how they could do things differently. We see our own role as inspiring the members of our school community to challenge themselves and each other so that everyone can flourish.

Just as John the Baptist ‘prepared the way’ for the coming of Jesus, we see our role as ‘preparing the way’ for our pupils so that everyone can thrive together.