Mission
Introduction
What is the point of school? The Welsh Government position is that ‘nothing is so essential as universal access to, and acquisition of, the experiences, knowledge and skills that our young people need for employment, lifelong learning and active citizenship.’ Certainly, opportunity and achievement are important to children and young people, their parents and carers, and to the national interest. Yet, as Christians, we are concerned not only with earthly citizenship but also citizenship of another Kingdom. This puts St Teilo’s at odds with the transactional nature of education which views children and young people through a lens of utility and efficiency. St Teilo’s seeks to offer a fundamental re-orientation of the purpose of education, away from advancement and gain and towards right living and love for one’s neighbour.
The Welsh Government’s ‘four purposes’ are the shared vision and aspiration for every child and young person in Wales. They are designed to ‘set high expectations for all, promote individual and national wellbeing, tackle ignorance and misinformation, and encourage critical and civic engagement.’ Where we seek to add value is in helping children and young people to better understand the ultimate purposes of life. St Teilo’s aims to enable children and young people to become more Christ-like, to be enactors of the love of God, and live into the Gospel throughout their lives.
Our mission is no less than to inspire children and young people to live the alternative reality of the Kingdom of God within the present world order faithfully.
“Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.”
'Missional' schools
St Teilo's has a mission because Jesus has a mission: to seek and to save (Luke 19:10). Transforming the lives of children through bearing witness to Jesus Christ is our calling and our hope is that all may encounter the love of God through truth, service and beauty. Our belief means that we seek to continue Christ’s mission by telling the joyful story of Jesus, growing the Kingdom of God by empowering children and building the future in hope and love. In this telling, growing and building, ‘missional’ schools nurture in young people ‘faithful presence’, inspiring them to love incredibly, give generously and live out the reality of the Kingdom of God – and do it faithfully.
Mission is not simply a ‘programme’ of St Teilo's; it defines our school as community of spiritual formation and learning for the glory of God and for the sake of others. Jesus came to reconcile a broken world, so our school must be persistent in its ambition for radical inclusivity, love without limit and partiality for the lost and the least.
‘Missional schools’ characterise themselves, and organise their work around, their real objective of being agents of God’s mission in the world. Missional schools design their strategic intentions to enable those they serve to be fully the people that God is calling them to be. And they educate for the purposes of wisdom, hope, community and dignity in order to grow Christ’s kingdom in the world.
This is our mission.
For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.