Randwick Church of England Primary
SchoolChristian Distinctiveness
Our school is a Voluntary Controlled Church of England School and was built by the church in 1857. The church of St John the Baptist is adjacent to the school and is used regularly by us for worship, our Nativity performances, dance, plays, festivals, history projects and a whole host of other activities. The church is a key partner in our school community, with key members of the church, such as Rev Helen, often joining us for worship, events and celebrations.
Hands, feet and hearts that make a difference
Our recently reviewed and revised Christian vision, permeates our warm and engaging village school.
Our vision is exemplified through the parable of The Good Samaritan. The characters in this parable embody our school values, inspire our pupils to embrace our learning community and explore learning for life in all of its fullness. The parable explicitly tells us to 'go and do likewise', telling us to go and do good. It is through our actions, not just through our words that we nurture our creative and passionate community, ensuring that pupils flourish as strong, resilient positive role models for each other and in the wider world. The children follow this teaching by leading by example, knowing that everyone has their own unique skills and that each of them can make a difference in the world.
Our Core Christian Values
Our core Christian values underpin our vision and belief that all children should live life in all its fullness. Every half term a core value is shared collectively through our worship, where we break down these values into weekly thooughts and prayers drawing inspiration from relevant bible readings.
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Autumn Term 1
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Thankfulness 'Always give thanks for everything to God the Father' (Ephesians 5:20) Christians believe that God loves and cares for them in many different ways in all aspects of their life. They know their response to this provision should be one of thankfulness and praise. Through our stories and discussions we help the children realise the importance of saying and most importantly feeling thankful. Our main bible story is 'Jesus heals the 10 men' where only one of them returns to say thank you. (Luke 17: 11-19). Big Question (P4C): Is it more important to be thankful or to say thank you? |
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Autumn Term 2
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Compassion ‘Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.’ (Colossians 3.12) Compassion is about 'standing in someone else's shoes' when they are having a hard time by trying to understand how they are feeling and offering a helping hand. God shows compassion to others. During this term we look at how God can lend a helping hand and support people in times of need, through the story of the Good Shepherd. Our children understand that everyone matters, no one is more important than anyone else. We teach children to notice when others are suffering and to act upon the compassion they feel stirring within – to care not just for themselves, but for one another so that we can all flourish personally, mentally and socially. Big Question (P4C): How should we show compassion to bullies?
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Spring Term 1
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Truthfulness 'God is the way the truth and the light' (John 14:6) Christians believe that truth is revealed in the Bible and supremely in the person and life of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ teaching we are given an insight into the nature of God and the way in which He means us to live. Being Truthful means saying how something really is or how it really happened.
Our words and our actions should be truthful. We share the story of Jesus and the taxman during this term to show how we need to show through our actions as well as our words that we are being truthful. Big Question (P4C): Should we always tell the truth? |
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Spring Term 2
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Justice 'Treat others as you want them to treat you' (Matthew 7:12) Justice could mean giving wrong doers the punishment they deserve ie. the punishment fitting the crime- just desserts, an eye for an eye etc However it could also mean giving all people- particularly the poor and oppressed - what is right and fair for them to have ie. life, health, freedom, and dignity- this is social justice. Jesus calls his followers to see justice, not as a way of getting revenge and paying people back; instead, he calls them to forgive their enemies, go the extra mile and not judge other people. We share this message through the story of The Marvellous Picnic. Big Question (P4C): Does justice mean I get my own back on someone who has hurt me? |
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Summer Term 1
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Courage ‘Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’ (Joshua 1:9) Children need the courage to take calculated risks and to learn from their mistakes. We aim for our children have the confidence to be proud of who they are, and feel assured in making the right decision even when others around them aren’t – to see beyond the distractions of the modern world and to have the courage to live a life of service to others instead of serving only themselves. Christians put their trust in God to be there for them in all situations, giving them the courage to overcome fear, make a stand for what is right and to encourage others to persevere. Big Question (P4C):If I feel afraid, does that mean I am not brave? |
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Summer Term 2
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Service ‘Serve one another in love’ (Galatians 5.13) Jesus was called the Servant King and his mission was to serve God and to serve all those people he met, through his teaching, his example and the way he led his life. The parable of the Good Samaritan shows we should serve those in need whoever they are. Such service is not offered to gain some advantage for ourselves. ‘Going the extra mile’ involves sacrifice, putting ourselves out for someone else’s benefit. Big Question (P4C): Should we help people who don't help us?
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Collective Worship
Gathering together daily is very important to us at Randwick - it is a time for our school family to come together and reflect on all the ups and downs of life.
Collective Worship is the beating heart of Randwick C of E Primary. It provides the opportunity for our school community to share experiences, ideas and understanding. It is the context in which the language of spirituality, which we use as a school, is regularly and explicitly shared.
Our collective worship varies throughout the week:
Monday: Values Worship. These focus on our 6 core values throughout the year: Thankfulness, Compassion, Truthfulness, Justice, Courage and Service. During each term, one of the Value's Worship is led by our Worship Leaders.
Tuesday: Spirituality Sessions are held in class and allow children to reflect upon big questions in a more intimate space. Responses are recorded in our spirituality floor books which are kept in each class.
Wednesday: Current Affairs Worship Children learn about and reflect upon a topical news story; they discuss how it makes them feel and what they can do to help. Our worship leaders record the responses in our current affairs book and these are sometimes further discussed in the classes.
Thursday: Singing Worship is a chance for us to show praise through song and to learn about music from around the world!
Friday: Celebration Worship is our chance to celebrate all the pupils who have shone this week! Certificates are given out by staff and pupils, to those who have displayed our secrets of success or our school values. These achievements are shared with parents in our weekly newsletter. Friday worship is also a chance to celebrate achievements outside of school, and for pupil performances.