Stottesdon CofE Primary School

We are a Church of England School which is part of a Mixed Multi-Academy Trust.
'We really care and make learning fun' permeates through all we do. In our work, with each and every child, the value of care and love guides all our actions as we help them to truly embrace:

• Caring for ourselves - keeping safe, keeping healthy, keeping fit, keeping reflective (prayerful) – it is not selfish to learn to love yourself

• Caring for others - pets, friends, all members of the school community (staff and children), visitors, neighbours, others in the outside community

• Caring for our world - the environment, the neighbourhood, the school, the classroom, the earth and its harvest

• Caring for those in need - homeless (caring charities), the sick (hospital or hospice care), the bereaved (care groups), the lonely (community care) and the elderly (care homes)

Caring for someone or something else is part of becoming the best we can be. By focusing our care on another person/animal, we become better people. Caring turns us from self-absorption into a healthier 'me’.

The Bible has so much to offer for positive personal, relational and community values, and its timeless wisdom can help pass on to the next generation the qualities of life that are most valuable. In understanding what caring really means we remember:

• Mark 12:29-31: Jesus said, 'The most important commandments are… love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength... and love others as much as you love yourselves' (= love God, love your neighbour and love yourself).
• The idea of stewardship and caring – God makes us and gives us the job of caring for the world. Genesis 1:26: God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” Genesis 2:15: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
• The teachings from the Good Samaritan ( Luke 10) with its example of who your neighbour is…..anyone in need, even our worst enemy.
• Doing good things for others in 2 Corinthians:
Generosity Encouraged: 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver……..10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed.

Our passion to make learning fun centres around creating a sense of joy in our learning. Children, happy in their learning, is an essential ingredient when we want them to embrace and engage in a range of opportunities and contexts. Making learning fun opens doors for us to stimulate development:

• Spiritually
• Physically
• Intellectually
• Emotionally
• Morally
• Socially

We aspire to make learning fun so that children can enjoy and relish learning about life in all its fullness, abundance and richness. We aim to engage children’s mind, body, heart and spirit in all activities. By doing this we nurture, nourish and enable every child to thrive and make their own informed choices to ‘have life to the full’.

Daily Reflection   

Our daily assembly/worship is an important gathering each day in order to be together and reflect on key aspects of who we are and how we choose to be. These are our values and they are represented by mural artwork in our hall. Each mural represents a story in the Bible that helps teach us about this value:

Christian teachings are regularly referred to in our worship and also include visitors from a number of churches and the ‘Open the Book’ program where Bible stories are enacted on a weekly basis. We also deliver worship in a very multi-faith or no-faith way in order to develop a respect and empathy for all our views.
If any parent has concerns about their child taking part in morning worship, they are welcome to come to school to discuss it. Parents may withdraw their children if they wish.

Religious Education

Children enjoy our Religious Education as a way of learning about and from a range of faiths. Children learn to enquire about and respect choice and reflect on their own decisions of how to be. We follow the LEA approved scheme for RE (please see our curriculum maps and policies for further information).

Re-opening activites of St Mary's Church

In the summer of 2023, the school was delighted to return to our church following extensive refurbishment through the National Lottery and English Heritage. Children enjoyed activities to re-engage them with the history and importance of the church. Children were also fortunate enough to be funded to attend workshops to design and make tiles at Jackfield tile museum. The tiles will be used to create a permanent display in the church…..an updated version of the 1860 tiles by the Altar.

Click on the image below to see a short video of the activites.