Our Church School
Our vision for each member of our community stems from Matthew 5:16 It says;
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
We believe that every child and adult can shine and that this can be for the benefit of all. We recognise that we are all special in God’s eyes and have unique talents, which we nurture so that each of us has the opportunity to become the very best person that God intended us to be. We want to encourage our children to aspire to great things and for the light of their lives to shine and make a difference in their classrooms, throughout the school and when they return home and into their community.
We also believe that developing a sense of self-worth is of paramount importance. Jesus said: ‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12). However, as he spoke to those around him during the Sermon on the Mount, he also used these words: ‘You are the light of the world’. In addition to letting their light shine on others, we want our children to recognise the value of their own light: to be proud of their personal achievements; to value and respect themselves; and to know how loved they are both by God and by others.
Our vision is unique to our school and recognises our links with the whole community of Kibworth. It tells everyone who we are and what makes us distinctive.
The Church of England education office definition is that the vision of a church school should be deeply Christian, serving the common good. Carolyn Lewis, Diocesan Director of Education urges us to be Scandalously Inclusive in all that we do.
‘Shine your light’ is everywhere at Kibworth.
- Children explain their light has shone when they have produced amazing work, choreographed a great dance or created a fantastic image
- Stakeholders understand the Christian vision so that they can apply and integrate it across all developments within the school
- Our Christian vision is enshrined in our procedures and policies and in the practice of daily worship
- All our systems reflect ‘Shine a Light’ – including school reward systems, signage, displays, collective worship
- Our Christian ‘Shine a Light’ vision is fully promoted across our wider thematic curriculum and its understanding in both a secular and religious context
We work really closely with our local church St Wilfrids, their Christian outreach charity – The Well, the Kibworth Wellbeing group, the Methodist church and a whole range of others. We chose our vision statement through talking to these bodies, our parents, our staff and our children and our board of advisors.
Archbishop Dr Rowan Williams describes a school’s Christian Values as:
At Kibworth these values are integral to all our daily lives, how we teach and what our children learn.
Our school is a place where:
∗ Children and adults alike are engaged on a life-time’s journey
∗ Each person is uniquely valued and their gifts and potential are nurtured and developed
∗ Each member of the school knows he or she belongs to all the other members and accepts the responsibility of caring for one another and for God’s world.”
∗ Christ is the centre of our school community where we live, love and learn
∗ Our aim is to provide a safe environment in which a child is valued and in which a child can find security, acceptance, reassurance and an opportunity to develop their potential. We aim to create a caring and happy community in which Christian values are upheld.
We teach it in arithmetic by accuracy
We teach it in language by learning to say what we mean—yea, yea or nay, nay
We teach it in history by humanity
We teach it in geography by breadth of mind
We teach it in handicraft by thoroughness We teach it in astronomy by reverence
We teach it by good manners to one another, and by truthfulness in all things.
We teach pupils to build the Church of Christ out of the actual relationships in which they stand to their teachers and their school fellows.’
Below are our Christian Values, click on them to find out more about each one.
Christian Distinctiveness
Kibworth Church of England Primary School is extremely proud to be part of a a wider family of 75 church schools belonging to the well-established Diocese of Leicestershire. Our staff, Advisory Board and our Church Partner St Wilfrids are committed to ensuring the best possible educational experience for every child in our care, regardless of whether they come from a Christian background, a different religious background or a background of no religion at all.
At Kibworth Primary School:
- Aspiring towards a distinctly Christian vision, which is deeply rooted in the teachings of the Bible
- Seeking to live by our Christian values of Love, Kindness, Hope, Joy, Peace, Koinonia, Forgiveness, Respect, Courage, Patience, Service and Justice
- Providing a highly inclusive setting, which warmly welcomes children and families from all backgrounds
- Shaping our key policies and strategic spending decisions in the light of our vision
- Utilising our school, and its position in the community, as a vehicle to serve and help others, especially those in great need
- Holding Collective Worship as the heartbeat that shapes and reflects on every day
- Following a familiar and reassuring rhythm of Christian prayer throughout each day in school
- Reminding all who enter or pass by that we are a church school through the Christian symbols evident in our school environment
- Building time for reflection into the school timetable every day, to foster good mental health and time to just ‘be’ in our busy modern world
- Forging strong links with our local church, St Wilfrids Church in Kibworth, and the wider parish and village community
- Teaching of at least 1 hour of RE per week
- Ensuring RE lessons are broadly Christian in nature but also provide sound coverage of the five other major world religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism
- Providing inspiring training and release time for an RE Subject Leader who is passionate about driving improvements to teaching and learning
- Encouraging children to think about ‘big questions’ in life and to move further along the path of their spiritual journey, whatever their starting point
- Nurturing a sense of awe and wonder in our natural world through weekly outdoor learning sessions at Forest School
- Using the sense of wonder in all creation to take positive steps to safeguard our natural world in all its beauty
- Making excellent use of our links with diocese, in providing training and development opportunities for staff and unique and memorable experiences for children
What is Collective Worship?
Collective Worship is central to education in our school and forms part of the school’s overall provision for prayer and worship.Collective Worship in our school respects the diversity of belief and commitment, but it is Christian in character, reflecting in the liturgical tradition of the Church and having Christ at its heart.
Intent
The aim of collective worship at Kibworth Church of England Primary School is to provide a highly inclusive and distinctly Christian vision rooted in the teachings of The Bible. We seek to provide opportunities, formally and informally, for pupils, staff, Advisory Board members, parents, community and church members to worship together. Pupils are encouraged to participate and respond, either actively in the presentation of worship or by listening and joining in the celebration.
Implementation
All pupils will celebrate an act of collective worship each day; generally, there will be three occasions each week when larger groups, usually whole school, will gather together to worship. These are: Monday; Mission Setting Assembly led by Mrs Paterson, Wednesday; Collective Worship led by a member of staff, St Wilfrids church or a visiting minister. On Tuesday and Thursday Worship Leaders also facilitate indoor and outdoor worship in smaller, often class groups, using our Reflection Spaces. Collective worship will normally take place in various areas throughout the school, but occasionally, for specific reasons, children may gather in church to celebrate.
Why Collective Worship
Collective Worship in our school provides opportunities for learners and staff to come together to worship God.
- To reflect on spiritual and moral beliefs
- To reflect on personal beliefs
- To respond to and celebrate life
- To enable and encourage a sense of belonging
- To reinforce positive attitudes
- To mark us as special
- To come to terms with
- To give worth to
- To wonder at
- To build a firm foundation for liturgy
- To contemplate something of the Mystery of God
- To take time out
- To develop a community spirit
- To enrich the religious experience of children and staff
- To encourage a common ethos and shared values
Impact
The collective worship and RE coordinator collate and draw conclusions through evaluation forms and by speaking with the children, staff and other adults on the quality of acts of worship. Each class reflects on Worship in their ‘Let Your Light Shine’ books and in class reflection books and in our RE themed scrap books.
Monitoring is carried out throughout the year. Here the children, members of staff and parents are asked to share their views and feelings about collective worship, offering suggestions for any changes or improvements they feel are needed. Findings are passed onto the Head teacher, coordinator and governors on a regular basis. Suggested developments are discussed with the SLT and Foundation Committee.
Kibworth CE Primary School was judged “Outstanding” by SIAMs in November 2015. Here are some of the highlights from this report:
- School leaders consistently promote a Christ centred vision for the school that impacts positively on pupils’ personal and academic development.
- The school’s Christian values lie at the heart of the school’s strategic decision-making informing the way the governing body conducts its business.
- High quality worship inspires the whole school community to grow together and be at one with each other leading to positive relationships.
- The depth of the school’s Christian character enriches the lives of pupils and staff alike so that all feel valued and inspired to be the best that they can be.
Click here to download the Kibworth CE Primary SIAMs Report 2015
St Wilfrid’s Church
We are very proud of our close relationship with our local Parish Church, St Wilfrid’s. We are very grateful to the members of the Church community who selflessly give their time and expertise to maintain our strong Christian ethos and our school’s high standards.
St Wilfrid’s church was recently named as one of the top 60 churches in Great Britain by the National Churches Trust. Our parish church, which dates back to the 12th century with possible roots going back to the seventh century, was selected by historian and TV presenter Michael Wood who filmed his Story of England BBC series in Kibworth. He praised St Wilfrid’s as “a warm and welcoming place which is packed on the big festivals like Easter or Armistice”.
The Parish Church helps us in many ways. These include: – Governor Support, Church Services, Celebrations, Fundraising and Curriculum Support.
Learning at St Wilfrid’s
Familiarisation of our church begins in the Foundation Stage when children visit St Wilfrid’s for their class act of worship and learn songs. In Year One the children visit church to listen to religious based stories and learn about Christian services such as Baptisms and Weddings. The church community organises many special events at the church so that each year group has an engaging experience at St. Wilfrid’s. These include ‘The Journey to Bethlehem’, ‘Narnia’ and ‘Heroes and Villains.
Advisory Board Support
As our school is a Church of England School the Diocese appoints members of the Church Community to be governors of our school. These governors are called Foundation Governors and in addition to the normal responsibilities of a governor they ensure that the Church of England character of the school is preserved and developed.
Services At St Wilfrid’s
All our children visit St Wilfrid’s regularly for services led by Revd. Fremmer. At Harvest, Christmas and Easter our children present services in church.
Celebrations
Our children also take part in a range of special services like Christingle and Pentecost.
In School
Members of the Church Community regularly lead the whole school in acts of worship frequently dramatised and based on the ‘Open the Book’ Worship Cycle.
Liz and Gill run the ‘Faith Followers’, a subcommittee of the school council. This group meet every Thursday focussing on our current Christian Value and the Church Calendar.
Church Schedule
Main Service – 10.00 a.m. every Sunday, all are welcome. The service is followed by coffee/squash in the Church Hall – this is a relaxed way to get to know people.
9.30 a.m. Express – on the first Sunday of every month this is an informal 30 minute service suitable for young families and people who are young at heart. It will be followed by refreshments in the church hall at 10.15a.m.
10.30 a.m. Family Service – on the first Sunday of every month the main service is for all ages. It is a lively and informal 45 minute All Age Worship service similar in style to our 3rd Sunday Cafe Church service. Please note, there will be no refreshments after the 10.30am service.
10.00 a.m. Holy Communion – on other Sundays in the month (except for third Sunday when a non-communion Morning Praise Café style service is held), our main service is a 75 minute Communion Service (Common Worship). Children are welcome to attend Sunday Clubs in the adjoining Church Hall and then join with us from the Communion part of the service (see Children & Youth).
10.00 a.m. Morning Praise – on the third Sunday of each month we hold a non-communion service. Children are welcome to attend Sunday Clubs in the adjoining Church Hall and then join with us from the Communion part of the service (see Children & Youth).
Children’s Activities at St Wilfrid’s
Crèche – available at all our 9.30, 10.00 or 10.30 a.m. Sunday services.
Storytime – 9.30-11 a.m. on Tuesdays in the Church Hall.
Sunday Clubs – these meet during the main morning service at 10.00 a.m. Each age group has its own leaders and activities.
New Mums on a Monday – 10am to 12noon in St Wilfrid’s Church Hall. A place to meet other mums with new babies 0 to12 months. Come and share a coffee and a chat, relax and make new friends.
Sparklers (under 5s) – a group for the under 5s and whoever looks after them, meets in the Church and Church Hall at 1.30 p.m. every Friday during term time. Songs, bible stories, craft activities, toys and refreshments.
For more information on the church please click here.