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Religious Life and Vision

Religious Life- Our Vision!

‘STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE, TOGETHER AS ONE WITH GOD’

This is based on Corinthians chapter 12. ‘Truly, God put the parts in the body as he wanted them. He made a place for each one of them. And so there are many parts, but only one body. All of you together are the body of Christ.’

This vision statement flows into the school’s mission statement. It is established and promoted at all levels and is highly successful in enabling pupils and adults to flourish.

MISSION STATEMENT

‘St. Andrew’s is a Methodist Controlled Primary School.  We provide an excellent education in a Christian context from a firm Christian base.  Although our roots lie in Methodism we welcome children of different religions and cultural backgrounds.  We are committed to the highest achievement possible for the children in our charge and, in working with children, we welcome the partnership with parents and the local authority and involvement in the local community.’

We aim to teach, support and encourage each other recognising and developing the gifts God has given us all.

The vision and values are at the core of all school policies– ones particularly pertinent to religious life can be found below.

Collective Worship

Our daily act of collective worship is central to the life of the school and valued as a peaceful and special time of day. It is inclusive and invitational and children are able to respond individually to opportunities for reflection and prayer. All children from Reception to Y6 have the opportunity to lead and evaluate worship. Older children are invited to plan and lead individual acts of worship. Worship normally takes place in school, but we have an open invitation to visit and worship in Walkden Methodist Church. The minister and other members of the church also lead worship in school.

Religious Education

Our provision for Religious Education reflects the Church of England entitlement statement and meets statutory obligations, being taught weekly. RE helps children to understand Christianity as a living world faith through engagement with the Bible and by exploring key theological concepts. It helps children consider the impact that Christianity has on Britain’s cultural heritage and the lives of people worldwide. Through RE teaching, children develop knowledge and understanding of major world religions and world views other than Christian. Our RE lesson are a safe space for children to reflect on their own religious, spiritual and/or philosophical convictions. 

Global Citizenship

One of the ways we try to live out the school’s Christian vision is by engaging in social action and being courageous advocates for change in our local, national and global communities. We are registered with;

Christian Aid ‘Global Neighbours’ scheme (Bronze award achieved July 2019)

British Council ‘Connecting Classrooms’ scheme (in cluster with 9 other local schools)

LIVING THE VISION!

RECENT CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES 

  • Harvest gifts: Collecting food for ‘Mustard Tree’ (local foodbank)
  • Raised money for Children in Need by wearing red, yellow and spots!
  • Sold poppies to raise money for the Royal British Legion
  • Raised money for Comic Relief by wearing red and selling red noses. (Pupils agreed that in future, they would look after the environment by painting them on instead)
  • Visiting Bourke Gardens care home to do arts and crafts with residents
  • St Ann’s Hospice (in memory of parents of pupils)- collection from Christmas shows
  • Uniform, resources and sports kits donated to Goal for The Gambia

COMMUNITY SERVICE

PEMBERTON FOLD CARE HOME

‘The children and staff from St Andrews are always polite and friendly. They bring joy and happiness to the residents when they are here doing different activities. Interactions between the children and the residents are fabulous. The smiles from our residents’ faces are beaming for the duration and then for the rest of the day. This really lifts the moods of residents and they reminisce about their children being younger.’

Activity co-ordinator

Pemberton Fold Care Home

  • The school council established a link with Pemberton Fold Care Home. Half termly visits included art and craft work, reading, singing and lots of games of cards, dominoes and Bingo!
  • A Y5 choir sang for senior citizens at Walkden Methodist church luncheon club
  • Every December we join together with Walkden Rotary Club to raise money by singing Christmas carols in the local shopping centre.
  • School staff and parents collected a large amount of money for St Ann’s Hospice in memory of our vice-chair of governors Brian Evitts.

BRITISH VALUES AND JUSTICE

  • Year 6 ‘Parliament in Education Programme’ included a visit to the Houses of Parliament and a meeting with our local MP Barbara Keeley
  • The school council were invited to the Civic Centre to meet and question the two lead members for education, Councillors John Walsh and Lisa Stone
  • One of the lead members for education, Councillor John Walsh visited and toured school, speaking to different classes

Rev’d Grace!

We are so proud of our former family support worker, Grace Thomas, who has been ordained as a priest in the Church of England. Here she is at Manchester Cathedral with her husband, father in law and brother in law. Congratulations Grace- we will miss you but we know you will be Amazing Grace as always!

 

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