Ethos and Values

At Princethorpe we aim to prepare our pupils to be positive and active members of our diverse society, being generous of spirit in serving others.

We want them to lead happy and fulfilled lives by giving them a deep understanding of the core values needed to build happy and healthy relationships. The values expressed in our “mission statement” below are at the very heart of Princethorpe and our Ethos:

Ours is a spirit of family
and a spirit of friendship
formed by kindness and understanding 
by compromise and mutual forgiveness 
by gentleness, humility and simplicity 
by hospitality and a sense of humour.

True community does not come about all at once.
It needs to be built up each day
into a community of faith, respect and love, 
by the constant effort of each member.

At the same time
It needs to be built up as a human community
knit together by compassionate relationships
where each member brings their own talent
and knows they are recognised, accepted, heard, encouraged and challenged.

Although these words were written in the nineteenth century by Fr Jules Chevalier (the Founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, who founded Princethorpe College), they are still extremely relevant the world in which we live. 

Our two school “rules” – be kind and always do your best – derive directly and succinctly from values of our “mission statement” 

At Princethorpe we strive hard to be a community which genuinely values friendship, kindness, compassion and love. On a daily basis these values have to be worked on so that they become part of way we are. With pupils from a wide variety of aptitudes, abilities, interests, backgrounds and faiths - and many who have no religious denomination - we recognise the strength in our diversity and aim to ensure that each and every pupil is “recognised, accepted, heard, encouraged and challenged.” 

To achieve this, we aim to treat pupils both consistently but also as individuals; this is possible because our staff are kind – kind with their time – so that they develop strong relationships with pupils to help guide and support them through their school journeys in preparation for their next steps.

Pupil - School Charter

The Princethorpe Pupil School Charter is a clear set of aims and expectations stemming from our ethos and values. All pupils are asked to sign up to this at the start of the year. To view our School Charter click here.