"Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel."

Proverbs 20:15

Our Church of England Status

Everyone is valued as an individual and helped to develop and progress in their own unique way within a Christian environment. Our vision, ‘Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.’ is at the core of everything we do. The curriculum we offer is not merely academic, but embraces the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all pupils and is deeply rooted in our vision that we gain Happiness Through Wisdom.

As Church Schools we enjoy and value close links with our local Churches. We have a strong Christian Ethos throughout the federation which is evident when visiting our schools. 

    

             St Mary's, Podington                                St Lawrence, Wymington

 

Collective Worship

Collective Worship plays an important part in the life of the schools and as such takes place everyday.The purpose of Collective Worship is to provide the opportunity for pupils to:

• worship God
• reflect on values that are of a Christian nature and on their own beliefs
• develop a community spirit, a common ethos and shared values
• consider spiritual and moral issues
• respond to the worship offered
• to provide an opportunity to celebrate major, and some minor, Christian festivals
• to celebrate gifts, talents and achievements
• to encourage respect and care for God’s creation by a positive attitude to both local and global environmental issues
• to foster feelings such as awe, wonder, thankfulness, mystery and joy.

To be meaningful for pupils, collective worship enables them to reflect on:

• what it means to be a human being
• questions of meaning, purpose and value
• the best that human beings can be – inspirational, exemplars (people of faith or not) who have demonstrated through their actions, lives and qualities. Examples will come from religious and non-religious sources.
• personal beliefs and values

Themes for Collective Worship link with the schools' agreed values of the month as well as the suggested themes set by the Diocese of St Albans.

In addition links are made to the festivals and seasons of the church calendar, to national celebrations and special days and enrich the schools' ethos.

During Collective Worship, these values provide opportunities for discussion about diversity, spiritual growth and development in our children and adults, demonstrated through the teachings of Jesus,  stories from a range of cultures and backgrounds. 

The Christian character of our schools positively contributes to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our children by providing opportunities for them to learn about other people’s faiths, feelings and values during Collective Worship, including those planned by pupils, reflection times, RE lessons and extra-curricular activities.

We also extend a warm welcome to visitors across the federation, inviting ministers from the local churches as well as from Rushden to come and lead collective worship on a regular basis.  We also warmly welcome parents, carers and other family members to join us in Collective Worship on a Friday for our Celebration Assemblies and Family Praise services.