The Christian ethos of our school underpins everything we do and is illustrated by the 8 Christian values which we focus on.

We aim to promote our school as distinctively Christian, whilst remaining inclusive to everyone as the values we have identified are appreciated by other faiths and those of no faith.

We have high expectations of our whole school family and the values are reflected in our daily life and explored in our collective worship and in our lessons.

We have displays in the school hall, incorporating our values tree and celebrating religious festivals throughout the school and church year.

The school’s Christian vision Happy are we who journey together in faith and love. This is based on Matthew 5:3-10. ‘Happy are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ Our Christian vision, deeply rooted in Christ’s teaching, the Beatitudes, embraces and enriches all aspects of school life. Our nurturing ethos, committed to promoting a child-centred philosophy and development of the whole child, is firmly based on our core Christian values, as we all journey together in faith and love.

All members of the school community live out and proudly promote the core Christian values. Pupils seamlessly link them to the teachings and life of Jesus.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. They say, ‘You can feel the Christian ethos as soon as you walk in.’ Parents of pupils with complex needs say their children thrive here. Parents see their children practise Christian values at home.

The children say:

Pupils say the vision ‘Helps us with life and builds up trust in Jesus.’ 

Pupils are taught that life is a journey. They say the school’s Christian values challenge them to push themselves and aspire to be their very best. It is very clear that in this school ‘You can be anything you want to be.’

What is a Church of England Primary School?

“A community school with a distinctive Christian character.” Long before the government became involved in providing education for everyone in our country, the Church of England had a vision that it wanted every parish to have a school for the education of poor children. By 1900, there were 5,700 state-funded schools and 14,000 schools funded by the Church of England. Today, approximately a quarter of all primary schools have a Church of England foundation, through which they strive to provide the highest standard of education possible, in partnership with the state.

From the earliest days, the purpose of Church schools was to enable children to flourish by providing a basic education and by developing their moral character. It was always intended that Church schools should be open to all of the children of the parish. The schools are not ‘faith schools’ in the sense of presuming that children are practising Christians or attempting to make converts of them. However, the ethos of the schools is based on distinctively Christian values and they will offer children an experience of faith through collective worship and links with the parish church. Religious Education in Church schools will always include teaching about other faiths and they will usually follow the same syllabus for RE as non Church schools. Since 2010, some Church schools have been converted into academies. However, this process entails a new way of managing the school apart from the Local Authority and makes no difference to the way in which the foundation ethos of the school is lived out on a day-to-day basis.

What is added by being a Church of England school?

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 also because they are seen as unique individuals within God’s creation. A church school might have a motto such as “No one left behind!” and the reason would be that everyone is seen as so valuable in God’s eyes that everyone must be supported and encouraged to be the very best they can be. Church schools 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. Church of England schools are places where questioning of belief and non belief is encouraged as we all try to make sense of the world, the gift of life and the purpose of our own personal lives. Although we live in an increasingly secular society, the values of our country have their roots in the Christian faith. Church schools continue to celebrate this as an aspect of the heritage which enables them to be successful places of learning for children of all faiths and none.

What differences should you notice?

As a pupil, parent, visitor or member of staff you should find your Church school is as good as any other good school but you should feel that the way in which the school works is different and distinctive. That distinctive difference will be rooted in Christian values that affect the way everyone behaves and in the way everyone is respected. Around the school, there will be signs and symbols which reflect the Christian heritage on which the school is built. There may also be areas for reflection which contain school prayers and prayers that the children have created themselves. Additionally, there will be a much greater emphasis on links with the local parish church than would usually be the case in a non Church school. However, none of the above should be taken as indicators that Christian beliefs are being enforced. They are ways in which Church schools encourage an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith and promote Christian values through the experience that they offer all pupils.

What else?

Church schools are encouraged to:

• ensure that the school is led by a headteacher who is committed, with the help of staff, to establish and 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 and that the character and quality of religious education are a particular concern of the headteacher and the governing body
• observe the major Christian festivals and in schools in which other faiths are present ensure that those faiths are able and encouraged to mark their major festivals with integrity
• maintain and develop an active and affirming relationship with a parish church
• proclaim that it is a Church of England school on its external signboard and on its stationery and make appropriate use of Christian symbols inside and outside the school.

Prayers we use at All Saints. 

Some of these prayers are regularly used in church and some have been written by our pupils.

We are proud to announce that we are a myHappymind Bronze Accredited school!

This means that as a school we consider the mental health and wellbeing of our children as one of our top priorities. We have created a whole school culture that helps build our children's resilience, confidence and self esteem as well as teaching them how to self regulate in those stressful times. 

This Accreditation badge has been awarded thanks to all the effort our staff, children, governors and parents have put in to bring the lessons of myHappymind to life all around our school!

To Learn more about the myHappymind for Schools programme visit their website here - https://myhappymind.org/

MyHappymind was created for schools with a very simple mission: to give today’s children the skills to thrive in tomorrow’s world. Our programmes give children the preventative strategies, skills and tools they need to thrive in the modern world.

The children learn about themselves and how to live out our school Christian values. The programme sits very well with our school vision and ethos and the values are evident in the MyHappymind programme. It also fits well with our school mission statement.

Living Out Our Christian Values

Through our mission statement, we aim to:

Provide a safe, caring community.

Respect and appreciate each other in an

atmosphere which reflects our Christian values.

Encourage everyone to work together.

Develop partnerships between parents, school

and the wider community.

Create a happy place where people matter.

Encourage a love of learning and creativity.

Bring out the best in every child and help

them grow into confident, independent citizens.

    Be responsible for our environment and ourselves.

The children and staff are thoroughly enjoying the programme and you can see some comments below.

Bobby - I like that it helps me learn about myself.

Louis - The sessions calm me down and help me calm down when I get stressed.

Daniel- It massages my brain.

Edward - It helps me to understand myself and the things I do. 

Zac - I remember the strategies when I am worried or anxious.

Leo - It is creative and calming, it helps my days. 

Year 3 really enjoy taking part in the My Happy Mind programme.  They like learning the 'grown up' vocabulary of HAP and are beginning to use it when discussing learning in other lessons.  They like the privacy of their own journal to record their thoughts and reflections.  Year 3 also enjoyed singing the Happy Breathing song and we encourage happy breathing during times of stress/upset.

The children have enjoyed the first happy mind topic, they loved the characters and enjoyed talking about their brain. They recognised that they needed their brain for everything they do. The children loved making their glitter bottles, which represented their brain when they felt emotional. We linked this to the story of the colour monster.