Christian Distinctiveness at Swainswick
Swainswick Church School is a Church of England School within the Bath & Wells Multi-Academy Trust.
At the heart of our vision for Swainswick is "a school where all children are known and valued as unique individuals, where differences are respected and celebrated... and where "with community and childhood at the heart, our school intentionally nurtures kindness towards one another."
This vision for Swainswick Primary School is under-pinned by our Christian values which guide how the community relates to each other, and our environment and we strive to make Swainswick a community that embodies an ethos of living well together.
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We our proud of our role as a Church School in our community, and have always had a close and meaningful relationship with our local vicar; they are a known voice in school leading weekly Christian worship, and bringing a uniquely Christian perspective to key points on the school calendar; from the first welcome service on a child's first day in Reception through to the celebration of their transition to secondary school at the Year 6 Leaver's service.
Our Christian distinctiveness is interwoven throughout school life addressing the core of the Church of England's Vision for Education in the following ways:
Educating for wisdom, knowledge and skills
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Moments of reflection are embedded in daily practice
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Meaning of life?
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Add a quote from parents underpinning each section?
Educating for wisdom, knowledge and skills
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Moments of reflection are embedded in daily practice
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Meaning of life?
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Add a quote from parents underpinning each section?
Educating for hope and aspiration
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Moments of reflection are embedded in daily practice
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Meaning of life?
Educating for wisdom, knowledge and skills
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Moments of reflection are embedded in daily practice
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Meaning of life
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Add a quote from parents underpinning each section
Educating for community and living well together
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Moments of reflection are embedded in daily practice
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Meaning of life?
Educating for dignity and respect
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Moments of reflection are embedded in daily practice
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Meaning of life?
Collective Worship
Collective worship that is Christian-based is central to the life of our school.
Regular collective worship occurs in class or as a whole, whilst our weekly celebration assemblies allow us to celebrate achievement and highlight where we have lived our Christian values during the week.
Dave, our local vicar, leads assembly once a week, with weekly collective worship in St. Mary's Church (although not currently possible due to COVID restrictions).
Pupils plan Harvest/Easter/Leavers Service themselves - taking ownership and sharing their reflections.
Parents are regularly invited to join us to celebrate and commemorate key moments in school life and the Christian calendar.
The impact of daily Collective Worship is immediate in terms of involvement and enjoyment at the time, but there is a longer term impact that is seen in children’s attitudes and behaviour. This is demonstrated in many aspects of the school day from how the children support each other's learning, through to the importance they place on the Reception-Year 6 buddy scheme.
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Religious Education
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Christian Value of the term
Each term we celebrate and focus on one of our Christian values.
Together in Assembly, we look at these values and develop a collective view of what makes up these values and how they are manifest in our lives. Throughout the term the children are guided in unpicking these value statements and celebrating the values we see in each other.
The term's value is on display throughout the school and in reflection areas. Teachers and children make reference to it throughout the week to support learning in the classrooms and behaviour around the school.
Values are promoted in many different ways throughout there school day, and we look for opportunities to live these in our daily school life:
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Collective Worship where stories, images, events and music promote the values
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Religious education lessons covering key religions represented in the UK, to promote understanding of religious diversity and practices
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Guest speakers from charities, and other religions
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PE lessons promoting the concept of ‘fair play’
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With the children - using values to help them reflect on and resolve conflict or difficulties in their friendships and work
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As a school community we live our values throughout the school day - as demonstrated on the playground behaviour expectations, approach in the classroom, at the greeting at the gate in the morning etc