A Church of England Primary School
The first Church of England schools taught children who were poor with little or no opportunity for social mobility. This starting point has led to the development of schools that now serve their local communities. Lambourn Church of England Primary School offers a high standard of education to all the children who attend from the village and the neighbouring area, regardless of the religious beliefs or otherwise of their parents. As a Church school we are committed to maintaining a high quality of teaching and the fostering of a safe environment where pupils feel happy, secure and valued.
We are very proud of our close links with St Michael’s and all Angels Church in our village and Rev Julie Mintern. Please find more information about the church here https://lambourn-valley-benefice.website/
Our Christian Distinctiveness and SIAMS
‘‘Let Your Light Shine”
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14 – 16
Our Christian ethos is about what we do and why we do it. Here at Lambourn CofE Primary School our ethos flows from the Christian foundation of the school. Our ambition for the school is focused on the development of the whole child in partnership with academic achievement. We believe we are all made in the image of God, as such are worthy of receiving the very best we as a community are able to provide. Our vision enables all to flourish and for each person to realise their potential and Let Their Light Shine. The Christian ethos and values of the school have a significant impact on the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the whole community, not just our children. Whilst our vision and Christian ethos underpin all we do, we welcome into our school community people of all faiths and those with none and aim to value every child equally whatever their background, ethnic origin, culture or faith.
As a Church of England school, we place God at the heart of everything we do and this is made evident throughout the school. Our hall is used as a ‘Church’ during our Collective Worship times and contains displays showing our Values, Vision, School Prayer and The Lord’s Prayer. Indeed, our school is used as a place of worship. Each classroom contains a reflection area which shows the Christian Values, corresponding Bible verse as well as a cross, bible and examples of children’s current work which supports the Values. The first day of every term starts with a ‘Values Day’, where we explore the value through stories, art, drama and music following our Values plan.
Worship is central to the life of the school and it takes place in a range of forms and settings. We work closely with St Michael & All Angel’s Church to enable our children to experience traditional worship but also explore fresh expressions of worship, allowing pupils to be creative. Prayer is encouraged and there is opportunity for this through the class/school prayer book and our daily collective worship. We follow the liturgical seasons and colours and have very close links with St Michael & All Angel’s Church in Lambourn, where we have regular services. The children are encouraged to think spiritually and are given opportunities to consider their own personal beliefs and values through our curriculum with special attention to this in Collective Worship, RE and PSHE exploring the big questions of life, death, meaning and truth.
We walk to St Michael & All Angel’s Church in Lambourn for Harvest, Christmas, Easter and Leavers’ services in addition to monthly visits for our EYFS children. The Revd. Julie Mintern from St Michael & All Angel’s Church is the parish priest. The school through Revd. Julie makes links to other community activities such as Lambourn Lambs, Youth Group, St. Michael’s Coffee and Chat. Revd. Julie and her colleague Christine are always available if you would like to think about baptism, confirmation or simply pastoral support. Revd. Julie spends each Tuesday in school supporting us through Collective Worship, our Christian Vision, biblical expertise and pastoral work with children and staff.
As part of their studies, pupils investigate what is special about our village and our country and also explore what it means to be part of a multi-cultural modern British society. We teach the British values of equality, diversity, democracy, individual liberty and respect and tolerance for all throughout our curriculum, alongside our Christian Values of Love, Integrity, Grit, Hope and Trust. Christian Values are made explicit and are deeply embedded in the daily life of the school.
Collective Worship
Collective Worship is a time when the whole school, or groups within the school meet together in order to consider and reflect on common concerns, issues and interests. It offers all pupils an opportunity to reflect or worship through engaging in relevant, meaningful experiences and provides opportunities for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
Our Collective Worship Crew (a rotational group of Year 6 children) plan and organise our whole school worship and are actively involved in evaluating worship in our Collective Worship Reflection book.
All schools must provide religious education and daily collective worship for all registered pupils and promote their spiritual, moral and cultural development. Religious education and collective worship make an important, although not exclusive, contribution to the spiritual, moral and cultural development of the children. These activities offer explicit opportunities for pupils to consider the response of religion to fundamental questions about the purpose of being, morality and ethical standards, and to develop their own response to such matters.
At Lambourn Primary the children enjoy acts of collective worship and can relate their learning to everyday life. Collective worship is seen as a special time of the day and children have a positive attitude towards it. All acts of worship include a time for quiet reflection.
During Collective Worship there are opportunities to listen, reflect and pray. Children are invited to recite the Lord’s Prayer and enjoy hymns linked to Christian values or a current Christian festival. The children are invited to engage with opportunities for spiritual development through questioning and times of reflection. Our vicar, Rev’d Julie Mintern and retired Archdeacon, Venerable Christine Allsopp lead collective worship weekly in school. The church is used for festivals during the school year.
Please find our recent Collective Survey results below:
Lambourn C of E Collective Worship Survey 2022
In addition to being inspected by Ofsted church schools have a SIAMS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools) inspection every five years. This evaluates the effectiveness of the school’s Christian distinctiveness in enabling children to flourish.
Please find a link here to ODBE website https://www.odbe.org.uk/
Please find a link here to the Church of England Education website https://www.churchofengland.org/about/education-and-schools
Collective Worship Schedule Term 1 and 2 2024
Spirituality at Lambourn C of E School
Our definition:
Spirituality is the development of a sense of identity, self-worth, personal insight, meaning and purpose. It is the exploration and development of understanding related to self, others, beauty and transcendental experience beyond the everyday – the development of a person’s spirit or soul.
We explore these concepts through the ‘windows, mirrors, doors’ pedagogy that runs through our curriculum and teaching approaches:
- Windows: looking out into the world
- Mirrors: reflecting, questioning
- Door: moving forward in thought or actions
Our work developing this, has been based on the work of Andrew Ricketts and Liz Mills. For further details, please see our SMSC policy.
