Being a Church School
As a Church School we have a Christian ethos and strong links with St Peters Parish Church, Oundle. Being a Church of England School is very important to us. We serve our community regardless of their faith, culture or belief. We follow the vision of the Church of England and deliver education that shows ‘life in all its fullness’.
We regularly attend Church for key Christian festivals and to celebrate the end of the school year. Our Foundation Stage to Year 3 pupils perform the Nativity each Christmas whilst our Year 4, 5 and 6 children present a carol concert. We contribute to the Christingle each advent and involve ourselves with other community groups linked with the Church.
Our community and sense of belonging is very strong and our families join us when they can.
Reverend Cannon Stephen Webster and his team lead our services and comes into school regularly to lead our Collective Worship.
There are lots of other events at St Peters Parish church which we would encourage our children/families to become involved with.
Our Christian Ethos
We are proud to be a Church of England Primary School, we have a strong Christian ethos and our school community enjoys exceptionally good links with our local parish church.
Our school is classified as "outstanding" by inspectors representing both the Anglican and Methodist Christian denominations.
Our School Prayer
Dear Lord,
Bless our school, our family and our community.
Help us to work together and play together,
showing respect for each other and You in all we do.
Amen
Tiny Tots for pre-school children and their carers is held here in school every Wednesday afternoon during term-time between 1.45pm and 3.15pm. It is an ideal opportunity for parents and carers to get to know each other better in a friendly environment as their children play, sing and listen to a bible story. It is completely free and everyone is welcome.
Messy Church takes place on the third Saturday of every month from 3-5pm at St Peter's Church. Everyone is welcome at Messy Church and appeals best to families with primary school age children. Adults and children are encouraged to take part in fun, creative activities before a short time exploring a Bible story with some singing and prayer and then a meal to finish with. Messy Church is free and there is no need to book - so just go along!
There are lots of other events at our church with which we would encourage our children to become involved. The pupils learn all about our church including its history, functions and traditions. We take part in the Candlemas celebrations each February and many of our pupils perform in the annual play staged by the church. As Christmas approaches, children from our Foundation Stage through to our Year 3s perform the Nativity in church while our Year 4s, 5s and 6s take part in a Carols and Readings Concert there.
Collective Worship
As a Church of England School, our assemblies are referred to as Collective Worship. They have a Christian underpinning in content but prayer is invitational.
Our Collective Worship has a three-part structure to it: Learning, Reflecting and Responding. We begin with an ‘opening’ and ‘closing’ written to reflect our vision as a school. We have ‘Collective Worship Ambassadors’ that lead key aspects of our worship including the opening, lighting of candles, noting the children’s contributions and assisting the Collective Worship lead on the day. Children also have roles such as organising the visual and audio aspects. Live music is performed by pupils on entering and leaving the hall at times throughout the year.
We have a theme each of the six small terms to consider on a two-year cycle. These themes are studied through story, Bible stories, film, drama, poetry or art. The children reflect on what they have learnt and consider how they can use their knowledge in their lives. A weekly task with their classroom helps them to achieve this.
We welcome a member of St Peter’s Church weekly to lead our Collective Worship and we attend St Peter’s Church almost termly for key Christian events or significant events to school.
Parents are invited to Celebration Assemblies on Fridays when the school celebrates the achievements of individuals and groups. Children are invited to share their successes in and out of school.
Singing is a key part of our Collective Worship. We enjoy singing as a school and the children learn a wide range of songs that enhance their learning of values.
Religious Education
We teach Religious Education using the ‘Diocese of Peterborough Syllabus for Religious Education’ alongside ‘Understanding Christianity’. Our school ensures that the correct coverage and time is given to the teaching and learning of RE across the school. However, RE does not just happen in RE lessons. It permeates other areas of the curriculum, especially art, PSHE and Humanities.
Every pupil has an entitlement to Religious Education and is a necessary part of a broad and balanced curriculum. The intention of RE is ‘to enable pupils to hold balanced and informed conversations about religion and belief’. Parents do have a right to withdraw their child from RE lessons.
