St Clements' Church, Horsley

Our Link to Saint Clements' Church our local parish Church is very special to everyone at Horsley CE Primary School.

Whilst Collective Worship is mainly held in school, we regularly visit St Clements' for Collective Worship, for reflective learning, Easter and Christmas workshops and to celebrate major festivals of the church year such as Harvest, Remembrance, Easter, and Christmas.

There is a special service in the Autumn Term when Year  5 pupils are presented with their own bible, and an annual school leavers’ service is held near the end of the school year in church. 

Members of the church community are welcome and regular visitors to school.

St Clements' Church Horsley

At Horsley CE Primary School Christian values are embedded in many parts of the curriculum. The children receive a variety of opportunities to enhance their spirituality. There are also opportunities for prayer and reflection during times of worship and throughout the school day. Children are invited to use the garden area to write prayers or have quiet thinking time. Our Collective Worship link to our values for the term.

At Horsley Church of England School we have a daily act of collective worship where we meet as a school community to sing hymns, listen to stories, reflect on them and pray together. Children are involved in delivery of Collective Worship throughout the school year. Key Stage 2 children have opportunity to plan and deliver our worships. They help to plan, organise and lead the major services which are held in St Clements' Church: Harvest, Christmas, Easter, Mothering Sunday and the Leavers' Service. Children may use Bible readings and write their own prayers for the services.

We have strong links with St Clements' Church. Reverend Tracy is a regular visitor to the school and is involved in Collective Worship for the children. When Worship takes place at St Clements' Church, parents and friends within the local community are warmly welcome to attend. 

 At key times during the year families are invited to join school at church for worship, these include: Harvest Festival, Remembrance, Christingle, Carol Service, Mothering Sunday Worship, Easter worship and Leavers' worship. 

Spirituality

It is very difficult to put into words what ‘spirituality’ actually is because it is a very personal experience. It differs from person to person, and often spirituality changes within people during their lifetime. Spirituality is not the same as having a religion or faith; a person can be spiritual without having a particular faith.

 As a school, we have defined spirituality as: 

“Spirituality is not something we can see; it is something we feel inside ourselves. It is about awe and wonder, asking questions, inspiration and being aware of something ‘bigger’ outside of ourselves.”

The language we use to define spirituality is not child-friendly, so when talking to children about it we will refer to:

• A sense of awe and wonder
• Caring for nature and living things
• Wanting to love and to be loved by people

Awe and Wonder 

Children are born curious, and it is our duty to nurture this natural inquisitiveness and guide them towards looking at the world and noticing, with awe and wonder, the natural and man-made delights all around us. We want to encourage them to ask ‘big questions’ about life, religion, nature, science and any other areas of fascination.

Caring for Nature and Living Things 

We provide many opportunities for children to learn about nature and the role they play in protecting our world. As a Church School, this is especially important.

Love We are a caring school, who pride ourselves of our ethos of family. Through our Christian Values, we teach children to care for friends, family and the community. Our curriculum includes learning about those we love and who love us.

Children’s spiritual development is fostered through all aspects of our provision. It is about the relationships and the values that we consider to be important, as well as the development of knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes. We give children opportunities to:

• Begin to develop their own system of beliefs which may or may not include religious beliefs. 
• Express their personal beliefs and compare their views with others, sharing their feelings and opinions through discussions and stories.
• Experience a love of learning through rewarding their enthusiasm and by encouraging exploratory play and learning.
• Experience a range of stories, music, art, dance & drama.
• Reflect upon the world around them and show a sense of awe and wonder towards aspects of the natural world or human achievement.
• Reflect on the situations of others through role play, stories.

The Trinity is the word used to explain the Christian belief that God is 3 persons in 1:

God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit

At Horsley CE Primary School, we begin each act of worship by using items to remind us of each person of the Trinity:

• The Bible, God’s word helps us to think about God the father
• The cross helps us to think about God the son, Jesus Christ
• The candle helps us to think about the Holy Spirit, God’s presence around us