Our Worship
Bunbury Aldersey Church of England (Aided) Primary School is an Anglican School and the religious education it provides is in conformity with the rites, practices and doctrines of the Church of England. The daily act of collective worship is viewed as an integral and important part of school life. Through this and in the general ethos of the school we seek to promote our vision:
‘The Bunbury community are united in their ambition to create a school which embodies the person, love and work of Jesus Christ: a school which enables Christian values to flourish and where all children may experience the abundant life that Jesus offers.’
Worship is a time where we come together to share our love of God and celebrate our achievements together. The worship of the school is based on promoting the Person, Love and Work of Jesus which permeates the ethos of the school. As such, the contributions of staff, pupils, church clergy and other visitors are valued highly.
Worship is when we meet to acknowledge and reflect in God’s word and the teachings of Jesus. It is where we acknowledge an infinitely larger world we inhabit and where we are touched, however fleetingly, by its mystery, awe and wonder.
Collective Acts of Worship (CAW) take place daily and are planned on a termly basis to incorporate all major Christian festivals as well as thought provoking and reflective themes and Anglican traditions. Worship focuses on the person of Jesus and His central position in Christian faith, as well as looking to God the Father and the Holy Spirit. The children start each CAW by saying a collective call to worship and lighting candles as a visual reminder of the Holy Spirit with us. All CAW include reflection, prayer and reference to a relevant biblical passage.
A range of leaders include clergy, visitors and class teachers. Once a week, the children are specifically involved in planning and leading a CAW, providing them with the opportunity to relate the Christian faith to current local, national and global topics. In addition to this children choose prayers on a daily basis.
Each half term the school focus on a different value. During celebration worship on a Friday, children are recognised and awarded a sticker and certificate for demonstrating one of our Christian values in school. Children have the opportunity to nominate someone within school, the community or wider society who has demonstrated this value in the way they live.
The projector in the hall enables the use of video clips and presentations to enhance children’s engagement. A focal point for worship is the worship table.
Every Friday, the Principal, Senior Leaders or clergy lead a celebration assembly which provides the opportunity for children’s work, efforts, behaviour and achievements to be recognised and celebrated. Parents are often invited attend this worship too.
Each week, the ethos group of children are responsible for planning, delivering and evaluating CAW, this provides further opportunity to incorporate their own ideas in future CAW.
Parents have the right to withdraw their child from Collective Acts of Worship following a discussion with the Principal.
Our Window
This is how we value the world around us and will base this on our awareness and understanding of the British values of democracy, the rule of law, tolerance and mutual respect and individual liberty. We will focus on how we demonstrate these values in school through our various committees and curriculum, through work on anti-discrimination, awareness of other religious celebrations and through our behaviour policy. We incorporate this into our Collective Worship with links to Christian teaching and inviting organisations into school
Our Mirror
These are the values by which we look at ourselves and reflect how we wish to behave. We focus on the Christian values such as Kindness, Respect, Friendship, Forgiveness and Thankfulness. At Bunbury, these are principles which are embedded into our daily life at school in terms of our conduct and approach to our learning and each other. We link these principles to our Collective Worship, to bible stories and to our behaviour policy and our rewards system.
Our Door
This is the fundamental value that we find from Christian teachings which makes us want and desire to make a difference to each otherand the world and go out ‘via the door’ to make a contribution to society, both in school, at home, nationally and internationally. We will continue to focus on our identified Christian Values but also on the key Christian value of love and that we have to love and care enough to make courageous changes for the better.
We love the caring, Christian environment you have created. I also welcome the work the spirituality and ethos group do to educate the children on other beliefs and religions - this gives the children a well rounded education and helps them form their own beliefs.
Parent School Ethos Survey December 2021