Epworth Education Trust was established by the Church to be the home for Methodist schools. It is built upon some key Methodist principles which shape its ethos and Vision.

Methodist Schools Mission, Values and Vision Statement

The Methodist Church is engaged in education as part of its Christian mission in the world.

John Wesley told the first Methodist teachers to always remember that ‘an ounce of love was worth a pound of knowledge’ and his enduring challenge to us all is to: ‘Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can’.

This remains the mission of the Methodist Schools Trusts today, working together to develop a culture that encourages and enables collaboration, communication and co-operation between the Trusts and the schools; supporting a sustainable inclusive education, shaped by Christian/Methodist values.

We encourage the schools to aim:

• to be caring Christian family communities committed to the development of the full potential of each individual, enabling pupils and staff to live their lives to the full and transform society for the better, to the glory of God
• to attain high educational standards that meet the needs of all children and enable them to develop their talents and skills wherever they lie
• to work with and in the communities they serve; providing an understanding and experience of service to all communities (local, national and global); promoting social justice and environmental sustainability
• to uphold Christian values in practice as well as in theory; to make religious education a strong feature of the curriculum; worshipping in the Methodist tradition whilst welcoming and including people of all faiths and none
• to counter prejudice and intolerance in whatever form that takes by encouraging mutual respect, understanding the importance of forgiveness, reconciliation, and renewal, respecting not only the beauty of cultural diversity but also our common humanity
• to encourage pupils in a critical examination of the standards and values current in society and to discover and develop a personal faith to guide them throughout their lives
• to be beacons of inclusive excellence developing confident, resilient, considerate, tolerant, and enthusiastic people who enjoy working with others and are willing and able to influence the world for good. We take Jesus Christ as a model of what it means to grow towards our full humanity.

Methodist Family of Schools

Epworth Education Trust is a member of the Methodist Family of Schools which comprises of MAST, MIST, EET and ILET.

Methodist Academies Schools Trust (MAST) is the religious authority for the Methodist Church and oversees the work of all their 66 state sector schools including maintained schools and academies. It supports their Christian ethos, collective worship and governance.

Methodist Independent Schools Trust (MIST) oversees the work of the Methodist Independent schools and affiliated schools.

More information about all Methodist Family of Schools can be found here: All Methodist Schools.

Further links:

Transforming Lives - Methodist Education International Conference (25 April - 1 May 2023)

You can read the Transforming Lives Strategy document here.

Education Commission (2012) can be accessed here.

Methodist Recorder (2021) - Transforming Lives here.