St John's Church

As a school we work in close partnership with our church - St John's. Our Vicar, James Pitkin is very much a part of our school community and are always available to listen and encourage both children and staff. James not only plays a key strategic role as a Foundation Governor, but the school benefits from his pastoral care for the children, staff and community. 

Each week Vicar James visits our school for Collective Worship. The children are very much involved in this, whether it is participating in the stories told, reading the prayer or readings. These times of worship are very special and provide all children with the opportunity to engage in worship at an age appropriate level. They also provide children with the chance to be still, quiet and reflective on things that are important in life to them. 

The children regularly lead collective worship both as a whole school and as a class. We celebrate key festivals at the Church; Harvest, Christmas, Easter & Pentecost. We also celebrate our Year 6 children in a Leavers Service at the end of the academic year.  As well as this, each year group has the opportunity to share a value or a theme within the church that they have prepared and planned whilst at school.

We regularly visit the church as part of our RE learning which the children enjoy because they are allowed to view areas that they may not be able to during a normal church worship. It is a fantastic resource, which we are very proud of, to have on our doorstep.

We also display the children's RE learning within the Church so the whole community can look, learn and enjoy whilst visiting the Church. We have received excellent feedback from the community about this and how much they have enjoyed seeing the children's work. 

Year 6 Leavers Service

We celebrate our Year 6 at the end of the year at our Leaver Service. The whole school community come together to recognise their achievements and contributions to our school. 

As part of Spirituality Week, all children in the school were involved in creating the Understanding Christianity Big Frieze. Within the artwork, you will bible stories which represent our core Christian values of Love, Courage and Respect. This artwork is displayed within our school hall. It is referred to during Collective Worship to support children's understanding of the story of Christianity. 

Spirituality

Children's understanding of Spirituality is strengthened through Collective Worship, with explicit links made to 'mirror, door, window and candle moments'. 

Mirror: Self - understanding of of who you are

Window: Others - how our self understanding shapes our relationships with others

Door: Beauty - Our wonder at life and creativity 

Candle: Beyond - Our sense of mystery and higher purpose 

Children reflect on themes deeply and discuss messages in bible stories, linking them to their own experiences and the wider world. They build a strong understanding of how the beliefs and actions of others can influence and shape the world. 

Spirituality Garden 

We have developed an area of our garden to be a 'Spirituality Garden'. This was planned by our Spiritual Ambassadors and created by all the children during Spirituality Week. They helped garden, painted prayer stones and created bible story stones. We have also incorporated a prayer tree into the area. It is a quiet space within the school grounds for the children to use to reflect in. 

We also use the garden for our class collective worships. It was blessed by Vicar James at the end of the Spirituality week. 

Links with Hampshire Christian Trust

In Swallowtails Class, the children enjoy an overnight camp at the Lockerley Water Farm. This is run by the Hampshire Christian Trust. It is a place away from the rush, noise and stress of daily life, allowing children the space to relax, and learn. More information about the trust can be found at https://hampshirechristiantrust.org.uk/