Christ Church C of E Primary School
This section of our website is designed to provide you with an overview of what being a church school is all about, what makes church schools different and special and what this means for us.
What is the purpose of a Church of England school?
The Church of England’s vision is to provide education and learning to all and this has always been the case in some form. Before the government became involved with providing education for everyone in England, there were church schools and other charitable schools. The majority of church schools were built in the 1800s and when they were built there were two requirements of them: to teach Christianity through ‘Religious Instruction’ and to hold a regular act of worship. Christ Church is one of these schools.
The purpose of a Church of England school is to offer a spiritual dimension to the lives of young people, within the traditions of the Church of England, in an increasingly secular world.
Despite our origins being based in the early church school movement started by the Church of England, today our school is inclusive to those of the Christian faith but also to families of other faiths and those of none. Our responsibility to nurture and educate ALL children remains as it was defined in the foundation of our school.
What is added through being a Church School and what does our Christian Distinctiveness mean for us?
Church schools have Christian beliefs and values at their heart. This means that every child and adult associated with the school is not just important because they are members of the school but because they are seen as unique individuals within God’s creation.
We aim to 'Do unto others as you would have done to you’ as set out by our school vision and Christian underpinning. The children learn about a values-led existence through our school 3 C Values of: Caring, Confident and Committed.
Church schools like us recognise that as well as academic and emotional intelligence human beings also have spiritual intelligence. The spiritual aspects of life will be recognised and nurtured alongside the academic and emotional needs of all. At Christ Church Primary School, we define spirituality as:
We believe spirituality provides opportunities for individuals to grow, find purpose and live out their values, it is beyond what we can see, touch and measure. We believe spiritual development enables our children to be caring, confident and committed.
Coming in to Christ Church
As a member of our school family or visitor to our school, you will feel our Christian distinctiveness when you enter the building. This is the feedback that we regularly receive from all who enter or work with our school. It is what makes us special and we believe that this distinctive difference is because our purpose is rooted in Christian values that affect the way everyone lives, behaves and interacts with others.
Church schools are encouraged to:
- maintain the Christian character of the school in its day to day activities and in the curriculum
- engage meaningfully in a real act of Christian worship every day
- offer a school life that incorporates the values of the Christian faith
- ensure that religious education is given at least 5% of school time
- observe the major Christian festivals and in schools where other faiths are present ensure that those faiths are able and encouraged to mark festivals with integrity
- maintain and develop an active and affirming relationship with a parish church
How do we maintain our Christian Character at Christ Church Primary School?
You can find out more about our curriculum and worship offers by clicking here (links to RE curriculum page).
In addition to our rigorous curriculum offer and regular acts of worship, we have many other opportunities for learners to engage with their own self-reflection, their peers, our world and beyond through special events and extra-curricular opportunities which aim to further explore aspects of faith and develop spirituality.
Jesus and Me (JAM club)
Learners are able to sign up to a lunchtime JAM club where they can come together with their like-minded peers to reflect on aspects of faith such as stories, celebrations and traditions. This club is open to all learners in KS1 and KS2 and is inclusive to all faiths.
Refelction Spaces
Within our school we have a number of reflection spaces. There is a reflection area in each of our classrooms and also a central area within the main entrance of school. We are also fortunate to have a wonderful outdoor space at our school. We have designated areas of this for prayer and reflection. We have Reflection Trees which are always available for our learners to access to pray, reflect, think, wish or dream. We link our reflection areas to our worships and learners are asked to take their worship learning into these reflection areas following a worship session. Learners are also invited to use the Reflection Trees during their free-time and as part of their RE learning.
