Christian Distinctiveness
What does it mean to be a Church of England School?
At Windrush CofE Primary School, our Christian vision and values underpin all the work that we do and is embedded into everyday school life.
Learn, Love and Live - Life in All its Fullness - John 10:10
I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. John 10:14
Being a Church of England school means that we:
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we have a daily 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.
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listen to stories from the Bible to help us to understand our Christian Vision and Values and put these into everyday practice.
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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.
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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.
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ensure that religious education is given at least 5% of school time and that the character and quality of religious education are monitored.
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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
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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
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maintain and develop an active and affirming relationship with St Mary’s The Virgin Church WItney. Our Vicar is Reverend Jacky Bone and she supports our school and runs Messy Church at the school monthly. She also leads a weekly collective worship.
We are not practising Christians. Can we still apply?
Yes! As a Church of England School we welcome children of all faiths and none. Our admissions arrangements do not favour church attendance or religious affiliation. Our Christian ethos will be manifested in our daily acts of worship (as required in all schools by the 1988 Education Reform Act), however, parents have the legal right to withdraw their children from the daily act of worship either partially or wholly. Teachers also have the right to withdraw from leading or taking part in worship.
How inclusive are Church of England schools?
Within our Trust we already have Church of England schools and so have first-hand experience of how education provided in CofE schools is fully inclusive (starting with admissions, which you will see have no faith-based criteria). These schools share universal British values, such as mutual respect and tolerance. The curriculum in a CofE school is as broad and enriching as a community school with the RE curriculum ensuring that children learn about all religions as set out in the locally agreed syllabus. A CofE school is established to serve the community in which it is situated and is fully inclusive, welcoming children and families of all faiths and none.
How much control will the Diocese/Church of England have over the school?
In maintained schools the ‘control’ of a Church of England School is expressed as a Majority (Voluntary Aided) or Minority (Voluntary Controlled) school. The difference is the extent to which the Governors of the school own their own land and employ the staff, and how many of the Governors are appointed by the Diocese. As a Free School, Windrush CofE will be modelled on a Voluntary Controlled School legal arrangement. All Local Governors at Windrush CofE will be appointed by RLT Trustees and only a minority (25%) will initially have been nominated by the Diocese. All Governors will need to commit to RLT’s objectives. The school estate will be owned by the county council and leased to the Trust for 125 years. The school will be subject to a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS). Details of this inspection are available here.
