Jesus said
‘I have come that you might have life, life in all its fullness’
John 10:10
St Andrew’s CE Primary School & Nursery has close links with Manchester Diocese and St Andrew’s Church. Classes have the opportunity to visit the Church to learn about Baptism, Christingle, Epiphany, Easter, Eucharist and Christmas. Reverend Rachel Battershell works closely with the St Andrew’s Ethos Team, supporting them in the planning, deliverance and evaluation of school worship.
“The Christian vision permeates every aspect of the school’s daily life. It is understood and articulated by all
SIAMS Report 2019
members of the school community. Together with core Christian values, the school’s vision ensures that
everyone grows and flourishes in a loving and caring community.”
Worship
How collective worship is carried out at St Andrew’s
Our school worship develops pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith and encourages pupils to look out to the wider world and explore and share the beliefs of others. As a Church of England School, the content of our worship is organised to:
- Cover all major Christian Festivals (i.e. including Christmas, Easter and Pentecost)
- Include Bible teachings, particularly as stories
- Include hymns, prayer and reflection
- Our ‘call to prayer’ bell signals the time for reflection and prayer
- Include a piece of music to enter and leave the hall by which encourages spiritual awareness and a sense of God’s presence
- Collective Worship is planned using our overview and evaluated by the children and is always rooted in Christian theology.
Monday Key Stage 2 Collective Worship and Class Worship (Early Years and KS1)
Tuesday Early Years and Key Stage 1 Collective Worship and Class Worship (KS2)
Wednesday Key Stage 2 Collective Worship and Collective Worship (Early Years and KS1)
Thursday Early Years and Key Stage 1 Collective Worship and Class Worship (KS2)
Friday Star Worship (Head Teacher)
Every class participates either in the Key Stage worship or in class collective worship
Ethos Team
Our Ethos Team serves as the guardians of the school’s spiritual and moral heart. By ensuring that our Christian vision is a lived reality for everyone, the team plays a vital role in evaluating how our values impact daily life. Through regular ‘learning walks,’ they monitor the quality of classroom Reflection Areas and gather pupil voice to understand how collective worship and our core values influence behavior and relationships on the playground. Beyond our school gates, the team collaborates with other Ethos Teams, embracing the opportunity to participate in shared worship and religious events that strengthen our wider community of faith.
St Andrew’s Ethos Team participating in St Mary’s C.P School explore Christmas at St Mary’s church Balderstone.
Food for Thought
At St Andrew’s we have our regular Food for Thought sessions. Food for Thought invites children to discuss deep, philosophical ideas in a fun and open environment. Thought provoking questions are discussed over lunch. Any children in Years 5 and 6 can come a long to one of the sessions and join in with the discussion. A wide range of views, ideas and opinions were showcased during the discussions.
We welcomed pupils from each of our Watergrove Trust primary schools for an insightful Food for Thought Summit at St Andrew’s. They enjoyed eating their lunch together while discussing thought provoking questions. The children from across the Trust primary schools collaborated and connected over some fascinating topics and discussions.
Parent Worship
Parents and carers are invited to attend our Parent Worship sessions. Worship is a very quiet and special time for us at St Andrew’s. It includes a hymn, bible story, reflection and prayer and we like parents to experience this through these sessions.
Parent feedback from these sessions is very positive and has included the following comments
‘The children thinking about and discussing what fruits of the spirit they think they possess.’
‘I enjoyed how you linked to story from the bible to modern life and how we can all help each other out, making it relevant to the children.’
‘I loved everything .. loved how they sang , prayed and shared a bible story .. this is exactly why I wanted my son to be in a Christian school.’
Prayer Group
Prayer group meet every Tuesday with Reverend Rachel in our Birch Room. Prayer group is open to children in Key Stage 2 to attend these sessions.
Lyfta
Lyfta helps children feel a deep sense of connection, understanding, and belonging to a global community, and feel that they have agency to create a brighter future. It is a cinematic experiences that connect learning to real life through authentic human stories. Giving children and teachers the opportunity to have meaningful learning experiences all over the world, showing them how interconnected and interdependent we all are, and helping us to develop a deeper sense of belonging in ouselves, in our community, and in our world.
Reverend Rachel Battershell
I am the Church of England Vicar in the Benefice of Dearnley, Wardle and Smallbridge, responsible for St Andrew’s Church, Dearnley and Wardle Village Church since May 2017, which made me a School Governor of both St Andrew’s and St James’ Primary Schools. When the two schools joined The Watergrove Trust in September 2017, I became a member of Watergrove Trust. Due to the growth of the Trust, I stepped down from this responsibility in August 2022.
As the Vicar, I regularly spend time with the children in worship or in the classroom working with staff and children to maintain our Christian ethos. The children also spend time at St Andrew’s church attending services or visits to explore the Christian faith and traditions. I have led Prayer groups at both schools as well as working with our Ethos groups.
As the School governor I endeavour to provide excellent teaching and outcomes for our Children. I look forward to the challenges ahead in our School, Church, and Community.
St Andrew’s is an Anglican church, worshiping God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. St Andrew’s is an inclusive Church. They welcome all who seek God, regardless of race, age, gender, Disability or sexual orientation. They affirm that the Church’s mission, in obedience with Holy Scripture is to proclaim the unfailing love of God in every generation.
Children are very welcome. Sunday school is provided for primary aged children. Older children are encouraged to actively participate as acolytes and servers at the altar.
