What do we do?

We are a school community seeking to serve mankind and honour God. We believe that a classical Christian programme leads pupils to develop an appreciation of the things that matter: truth, goodness and beauty. We believe that orienting the affections of a child this way will lead to the practice of these things.

Because we are deliberately ecumenical, the forms of prayer, the songs, and the Bible translations that we use reflect beliefs common to Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic Christians. Different devotional traditions (lifting the hands, bowing the head, making the sign of the cross, etc.) are respected. 

We are a school and not a church. This means it is our view that beliefs specific to particular Christian denominations are best taught in homes and church and not school. When diverging beliefs and practices are discussed during usual academic study our teachers will lead the discussion from a historical viewpoint. Our staff will not share their opinions on doctrinal differences between Christian traditions in the classroom. They will instead aim to cultivate among our students an understanding and appreciation of both the variations within and the fundamental unity of the Christian faith.


Our Core Beliefs

  • As an intentionally ecumenical community, Saint Anselm’s School finds its unity in the beliefs articulated in the Apostles’ Creed. This rule of faith is a confession common to Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic traditions alike.

    I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

    And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
    Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.
    He descended into hell.
    The third day He rose again from the dead.
    He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
    From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

    I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
    the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
    the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

    In addition to the teachings concerning the Holy Trinity, creation, the incarnation and virgin birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and bodily resurrection confessed in the above creed, we also hold those truths believed by Christians of every time and place which are most closely aligned with the mission of the school. Among these, we mention specifically the following:

    There is no salvation apart from Christ Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

    The Holy Scriptures are “given by inspiration of God, and [are] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

    We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life (Psalm 139).

    This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Christian scriptures, as the inspired word of God, serve as the supreme source of truth and morality and are the standard of our teaching and code of conduct.

    For purposes of the school’s doctrine, practice, and discipline, our board of trustees is responsible for determining and developing the school’s policies and evaluating their implementation.

  • Almighty God, who raised up your servant Anselm to teach the Church of his day to understand its faith in your eternal Being, perfect justice, and saving mercy: Provide your Church in every age with devout and learned scholars and teachers, that we may be able to give a reason for the hope that is in us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

  • The motto for St Anselm's is the Latin phrase Fides Quaerens Intellectum, which means "faith seeking understanding."

    Anselm of Canterbury beautifully explains the desire of the Christian thinker:

    "Lord, I am not trying to make my way to your height,
    for my understanding is in no way equal to that,
    but I do desire to understand a little of your truth
    which my heart already believes and loves.

    I do not seek to understand so that I can believe,
    but I believe so that I may understand;
    and what is more,
    I believe that unless I do believe,
    I shall not understand."

    We believe this conveys the essence and purpose of education and hold it as a statement to aim towards.

Droplets

The droplets of blood in the top right and bottom left quadrants, known as “gouttes de sang”, are present on St Anselm of Canterbury’s coat of arms. They are believed to represent the blood of Christ.

The crest contains three images that represent both Anselm of Canterbury and two values important to St Anselm’s School.


Our Crest

Dragon

The dragon in the top left quadrant ties St Anselm’s school to Wales and draws attention to our belief that an outcome of a good education is a graduate who understands what it means to be a citizen of the nation in which he lives.

Book

The book in the bottom right quadrant represents Holy Scripture. It is designed to appear as a source of light for, as CS Lewis says, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”