We asked our governors what our school roots and fruits mean to them.

Kindness – what it means to me
Life without kindness would be like life without friends. We can all show kindness every day. By caring about each other, by being polite to each other, by showing consideration and concern for each other and by showing warmth and affection to each other.
Having good friends and kindness around us helps us through good times and bad times and makes the world a much better place.
Rich Arthur – Chair of Governors

Perseverance – what it means to me
Perseverance is something that features in my life a great deal!
It’s all about wanting to achieve something important to you even if it fees like you’ll never be able to do it.
For me, one of the times I had to persevere the most was when I decided I wanted to run the London Marathon. I really couldn’t see how I would ever be able to run 26 miles without stopping! I started on my training program and at times it was hard to fit the runs in around everything else, but I had to persevere, I had to keep pushing myself to achieve my ultimate goal. Gradually, I got better and better and my perseverance really started to show results. Unfortunately, I got injured six weeks before the Marathon and wasn’t able to run. I couldn’t let that stop me so, yet again, I had to persevere and that’s when I started cycling and running on an Anti-Gravity treadmill.
The first time I ran again after my injury was on the day of the London Marathon, I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish. Thankfully, in the end, everything I had done to push through the tough times, paid off and I finished the Marathon!
I was so happy and proud of myself and I realised just how important it is to persevere. Trying hard, pushing through tough times, never giving up and eventually achieving your goal feels just amazing!
Lisa Farmer – Ex-Foundation Governor and friend of school

Truth – what it means to me
Most people know what truth means or what telling the truth is. 
As a parent, I spend my time raising my children to tell the truth, telling them that no matter what has happened, it's always better to tell the truth. 
Sometimes, when telling the truth, we face a consequence, but this is normally lessened when honesty is involved. Not telling the truth can soon lead to problems escalating out of control, causing worry, anger and upset.
As clerk to the governors, truth is at the forefront of all I do.  When in meetings, I need to record accurate and true records.  When being asked for advice by the governors, if there is an area that I'm unsure of, it's easier to tell them truthfully that I don't know the answer and that I will seek guidance from the experts so that I can pass accurate information back to them. 
 I rely on the governors to be truthful in the things they do. This can be as simple as someone telling the truth about why they couldn't complete a task on time, or as important as investigating and reporting back fact-based information.
We are involved in the work of the governors to help the children who attend Offenham school. We all want to make a difference.  We all have a chance at doing this if we do it whilst living out the value of truth.
Amanda Webb – Clerk to the Governors

Self control – what it means to me
This is the ability to regulate our emotions, thoughts and behaviour in the face of temptations, impulses and difficult circumstances. We all have ways in which we automatically respond to situations and habits that we find ourselves falling into without thinking. Exercising self-control means that we make a conscious effort to respond in positive rather than negative ways. In the Bible we are also encouraged to control our self-centred and selfish behaviour and try to bring the best out in others. In doing so, our best is likely to shine through.
Rev Neil le Tissier – Foundation Governor

Patience – what it means to me
Patience is a virtue in some people, but for most of us it is a skill we have to learn. In doing so, we learn to observe more, learn to hear and understand more – and so become wiser about the world and our relationships with others.
Richard Crook – Co-opted Governor

Love – what it means to me
Love is a fundamental value and should be at the core of all we do.
To love means to care for someone. It means they are important to you and that you want the best for them.
Within school, we can love subjects, our peers and staff. As a teacher in the school, I teach with love and care deeply for all pupils and staff alike. I am fortunate that I love coming to work and I love teaching children.
Miss Hollie Johnson – YR &Y1 teacher and Staff Governor

Responsibility– what it means to me
Like us all, I have many different roles in life and each of these roles carries different responsibilities.
 I believe that the greatest responsibility in all of my roles is “to love others as I love myself” and, in loving them, to want the best for them.
Loving can be tough, and it can take real determination and grit to carry out my responsibilities well. Sometimes, I don’t feel like carrying out my responsibilities and I’d rather have a lazy day. But the commitment I’ve made, the love I have for others and my desire to be the best that I can be motivates me, even when I want to give up on my responsibilities.
One of the songs that we sing in assembly sums up what I think responsibility is all about.

Brother, sister, let me serve you;
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey,
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I'll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow,
till we've seen this journey through.

Mrs Jayne Nicol – Headteacher

Respect – what it means to me
Respect comes in many forms, but for me it boils down to two main forms.
Respect for others and, just as important, respect for ourselves.
Having respect for someone means that you like the way a person works, acts or behaves. Treating someone with respect means that you engage with them in a way that shows you care about their well-being. When you respect someone, you use good manners, treat them kindly and listen to their instructions.
Having respect for yourself is often overlooked, but you deserve respect too. This can be by making sure you exercise and eat and drink the right things, or by ensuring that you are clean and smart when attending school. Similarly, you can be respectful of yourself by not giving yourself a hard time……be kind to yourself.

Alex Enstone – Parent Governor

Friendship – what it means to me
A friend is one of the best things you can have and one of the best things you can be.
Friends are the family that you would choose yourself. You may not always be together, sometimes you might not get on, but things are never quite as bad when you have a friend to look out for you.

Steve Webb – Parent Governor

 

Faithfulness – what it means to me

For me, faithfulness is about lasting loyalty and trustworthiness in relationships, especially marriage and friendship. But it is also being true to one’s word or commitment; as to what one has pledged to do or professes to believe.

In the Bible, the psalmist, David, reports God's faithfulness in keeping promises. In the same way, it is important to me as a Governor of the school to keep my promises to support the Headteacher in leading the school; to act as a critical friend and to do whatever I can to have a positive impact on the experience of each pupil while they are with us.

Martin Penny - Foundation Governor