garsington as a Church of England School

What does it mean to be a Church of England School?

At Garsington CE Primary School, our Christian vision and values underpin all the work that we do and is embedded into everyday school life.

Our School Vision

Nurturing everyone to flourish in a community where all can believe and achieve 

The Parable of the Sower (grow and learn like the strong healthy plants)  Matthew 13:1-23 

Our Red Kite values are Responsibility, Enthusiasm, Determination, Kindness, Independence, Teamwork and Enrichment.

Being a Church of England school means that we: 

• have a daily act of Collective Worship where we all come together to learn, reflect and pray. We have a pupil led collective worship group who meet weekly to plan and evaluate our collective worship. 

• listen to stories from the Bible to help us to understand our Christian vision and values and put these into everyday practice.

• ensure that the school is led by a headteacher who is committed, with the help of staff, to establish and maintain the Christian character of the school in its day to day activities and in the curriculum.

• offer a school life that incorporates the values of the Christian faith. This includes a termly overview that links our vision and values to assemblies, Collective Worship, PSHE lessons and enrichment opportunities. Christianity is linked to our key events. For example Christianity as a world religion at International Evening, Christian art in Arts week and roles in the church as part of Aspirations Week. We also have a daily reflection and prayer space run by our Year 6 prefects as well as an inside reflection and prayer area.

• ensure that religious education is given at least 5% of school time and that the character and quality of religious education are monitored.

• observe the major Christian festivals and in schools in which other faiths are present ensure that those faiths are able and encouraged to mark their major festivals with integrity 

• engage with and are supported in school work by the Diocese of Oxford https://www.oxford.anglican.org/schools  and the Church of England Education Office 

• maintain and develop an active and affirming relationship with St Mary’s Church and Ripon Theology College. Our Vicar is Reverend Tom Wallis and he supports our school and governing body. He also leads the prayer club, as well as leading a weekly collective worship.