Our School’s Christian Vision:

“With God, all things are possible.’ Matthew 19 v26.

Rooted in our Christian values of forgiveness, trust, happiness, respect, honesty and friendship; ‘we are kind, we are honest, we forgive’. Through our strong Christian ethos, everyone is nurtured to behave with integrity, taking responsibility for their actions whilst developing enquiring minds to achieve their potential to ‘Explore and Grow’.

In 2016, SIAMS judged us to be a 'good' church school. 

What our SIAMS report  says about us:

"The family feel of this small village school thrives on its Christian approach to learning, its focus on Jesus’ teaching and the partnership with its parish and church community. This is led by a visionary and dedicated headteacher, thus ensuring everyone in the community feels nurtured and treasured."

"Pupils positively enjoy their learning and value their friendships and teachers within this accepting Christian community where every child matters to God and the school community. As a result, they become confident, honest and non- judgemental individuals."

"The importance placed on collective worship, prayer and reflection is enabling pupils to develop a personal spirituality for everyday life."

"The school provides a secure, collaborative and purposeful learning culture where all pupils and staff are valued, listened to and challenged to be the best they can be." 

"Parents embrace the inclusivity of this small rural school and welcome the fact that ‘all walks of life have such a good grounding here’."

Collective Worship

Collective Worship is highly valued as a time set apart in the school day and week, where the whole school community can gather together. It provide opportunities for the school community to arrive in worship with the right attitude, engage with their own spirituality and Biblical teachings and leave feeling refreshed and inspired.

Collective Worship is the ‘heartbeat’ of the school, beating away beneath everything that goes on in school. 

Worship is a ‘time to breathe’; a time when all can come together to find a space, silence and quietness to reflect on their own spirituality, values and place in the world. Just as breathing is vitally important to life, worship is a significant and sacred time in the life of the school; ensuring the time is valued to allow all to ‘breathe’. 

Collective worship gives the whole school community the opportunity to:

• Engage in an act of community

• Affirm and understand Biblical stories and the Christian values and attitudes which underpin our schools' foundation

• Celebrate special times in the Christian calendar and beyond

• Explore the big questions of life and respond to national events

• Foster respect and deepen spiritual awareness

• Be still and reflect

• Share each other’s joys and challenges

It is important that we remember collective worship should be inclusive, inspirational and invitational no matter where it is held or who is leading.

• Inclusive: something for children and teachers, of all faiths or of none to be able to join in with.
• Inspirational: a time in the day to think about the big questions in our lives; an occasion that supports the school community’s spiritual development.
• Invitational: an opportunity for those of any religious faith or none to focus and reflect on stimuli which allow the human spirit to respond with integrity.

Structure for the week:

Our Church, Our Community and Us

We have strong links with the Cottesmore Benefice and the two churches in the villages we serve. 

Reverend Anthony and/or Reverend Cecily visit us each week to lead Collective Worship, and also support our Easter and Christmas Services in the churches.

Both church PCCs support the school through prayer and through providing Bibles for Years 6 leavers and gifts at Christmas and Easter, as well as using the Henry Forster Trust to support the work of the school.

Courageous Advocacy

We aspire to:

• be brave
• stand up for what we believe
• speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves
• be an advocate for change; challenge injustice and inequality - by following Christian values