At Thurnham Glasson C of E Primary School we have high hopes and aspirations for our future, our school and community. We also understand that faith gives us hope for both now and for the future, and that this hope brings confidence. Hope for us means that there is always a future whatever situation we are in, because God promised to never leave us, to always love us, and to help us in times of need.

What makes hope a distinctively Christian value? 

Christian hope is rooted in God’s love for us. Christians believe that: God has our best interests at heart; God will never leave us; God will provide for us when we are in need; God knows us (even the number of hairs on our head!); and God promises us of a better life to come. When we are in our darkest time, God is there, and will help us. Hope is grounded in the character of God; the Bible is full of stories of how God changes situations.

We see hope shown in the Christian narrative in many ways. The resurrection gives us hope for eternal life. The gospel stories tell of hope, for example the woman who touched Jesus’ robe (“If I just touch his clothes I will be healed.”). The rainbow after the flood is a sign that God will never break his covenant of love with us. God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, when slavery seemed their destiny. The lost coin and the lost sheep tell us of the lengths God will go to bring us back.

At Thurnham Glasson C of E Primary School we develop our value of hope through: supporting the St John's Hospice with raising hope for others; never giving up on our children; wanting the best for them academically and in their character; helping them see light despite the darkness; and learning about prayer.

Hope is more than just wishing for things to be different, it is about believing that things either in our own personal world or the wider world can be better and being prepared to do something.  As a family you might talk about your hopes and dreams for the future and what you can do to make them happen. This half term we are celebrating British Science Week (10-19 March), Albert Einstein said ‘Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.’ In our collective worship we will be looking at what hope is, hopes related to our Rights and hopes for world peace.