The Priory CofE Primary School

CHRISTIAN DISTINCTIVENESS

At The Priory we follow the teachings of Christ. We promote Christian values and all pupils are educated in the beliefs and devotional practices of the Church of England. We have based our vision and values around the parable of the mustard seed. Please see our vision and values page - Vision and Values

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer

The importance of prayer is evident throughout school.  The children are encouraged to learn and share prayers during the school day, together with grace meals and traditional prayers of the Church that are taught with our curriculum and in collective worship. Each class has a prayer book, to record and share their favourite and own personal prayers. We teach pupils the Lord's Prayer alongside other forms of prayer such as teaspoon prayers (thank you, sorry, please - tsp). Please see photos of our every changing prayer space on our RE curriculum page. 

Religious Education

The SDBE RE scheme is followed throughout the school. This is supplemented by work on the saints and stories from the Old and New Testaments, Circle time sessions and Personal, Social and Health Education. All pupils learn about other religions and cultures and are encouraged to show respect and acknowledgement for the beliefs of others through open discussion and shared experiences. This is reflected through the involvement of pupils, both within school and the wider local community. Pupils learn about religion and from religion in RE lessons so that each lesson is meaningful to them. 

Our vision, values and links to RE are made across the curriculum such as discussing how God created light on the first day in relation to a science unit on light, or when learning about civil rights we discuss our Christian value of respect.  

Please see more detail about our RE curriculum here. RE page

Spirituality

At The Priory School, we believe that spirituality is about an awareness that there is something greater than ourselves and this is often witnessed through our own experiences, religious beliefs and practices. We believe spirituality enriches individuals in their understanding of and ability to relate to others and society as a whole.

Children and adults are encouraged to develop a strong sense of spirituality to support their own well-being. We recognise that the development of spirituality is important for everyone regardless of their faith and background. 

Please see spirituality within the PSHE curriculum here

Please see our spirituality development document here 

spirituality at the priory copy.pdf

 

 Christian Values

 

Collective Worship

Participation in daily collective act of worship remains at the helm of every school day and sometimes within RE lessons. Every class in Key stage 1 and Key Stage 2 prepares and leads a class collective worship throughout the year, with parents and families  warmly welcomed. Children plan, lead and participate in special collective worships during the school year which are linked to our Christian virtues or are timed to coincide with events in the Church’s calendar. 

We have collective worship each day. They are led by the head teacher, deputy head, assistant head teachers, class teachers and our members of Holy Trinity Church: Reverend Mark Eminson (Team Rector) and Reverend Simon Asquith (Curate). We also regularly invite visitors to come and lead collective worship, for example from the local community or local and school supported charities. 

At The Priory, our collective worships link to the Christian calendar, our values and vision and also other key events in the school year, that need to be celebrated, discussed and valued. Our annual plan for collective worship, also links to our learning and life skills and PSHE themes.

We collate evidence of our collective worship and pupils' thoughts in a book available to view in our school reception.

diversity bame collective worship annual overview.pdf

 

We endeavour to ensure collective worship allows pupils and staff, the time to gather, engage, respond and send forth, ensuring a time for personal reflection and that we take that reflection away and apply it to our own lives. 

Please find our Collective Worship Policy here - 

collective worship policy 2023.pdf

Holy Trinity Church

The Priory Church of England School is part of the Holy Trinity Parish in Wimbledon. 

Reverend Mark Eminson and Simon Asquith lead Collective Worship once a week with our pupils which is planned alongside the senior leadership team.

Both Mark and Simon are governors and active members of The Priory. They are part of our faith team supporting us as a community, individually and with events in school such as church services, blessing our prayer space and supporting our RE curriculum. 

We visit Holy Trinity Church for several services over the year and many of our pupils visit as part of their RE teaching or through community projects such as our Richard Thornton fortnight. 

Year 6 visit Southwark Cathedral as part of their leavers' service at the end of their time here at The Priory.

Holy Trinity Church Website

 

Valuing All God's Children

The Church of England is committed to an education that enables people to live life in all its fullness and fulfils the words of Jesus in John 10:10

"I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly. " John 10:10
Central to Christian theology is the belief that every single one of us is made in the image of God. Every one of us is loved unconditionally by God. 
At The Priory Church of England Primary School,  our school offers a community where everyone is a person known and loved by God. We support each other so that we can learn about and celebrate our own intrinsic value. We celebrate the Christian message of love and joy, celebrating our own unique humanity without exception or exclusion. 
We are very proud that our school community has a mix of faiths and families within it. We work hard to understand our differences and celebrate them together and have ensured this is embedded within our curriculum.

valuing all gods children july 2019 0.pdf

 

 

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