Our Christian Ethos

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE (Mark 9:23)

We warmly welcome pupils from all faith backgrounds and none, and firmly believe that every child is unique and amazing.

Our aim is to help everyone realise their potential to positively influence and change themselves, their peers, our local community and our world.

Our school values of courageous optimism, heartfelt compassion and boundless creativity, are linked to universally accepted Christian principles that guide good behaviour and support wellbeing.

Our Christian ethos underpins the Christian distinctiveness of our school and are intertwined in all we do – through our Collective Worship, celebrating learning and personal achievements, embracing world faiths and views and welcoming visitors into our happy school.

Motto: Believe and Achieve

Worship

What is collective worship?

Collective Worship is a creative, reflective and spiritual experience.

1. A candle is sometimes lit as a focus and reminder that Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” John 8v12
2. A child leads the worship with a phrase such as, “The Lord is here – His Spirit is with us.”
3. Children enjoy a wide range of worship songs often linked to our Christian values.
4. A Bible story may be told, chosen to be related to the Christian value as well as the relational needs of the children.
5. There is opportunity for children to read a few well known verses from the Bible or a Psalm such as Psalm 23 or Psalm 100.
6. Often there is a challenge to practical action – encouraging children to decide / choose to put God’s love into practice. For example children may be encouraged to support the Colchester Food Bank charity or Operation Christmas Child shoe box appeal.
7. Children have an opportunity to respond in prayer. We use the school prayer or the Lord’s Prayer and also encourage spontaneous prayers which may be led by the children.
8. In a busy school day we make “Time for reflection.” Maybe a quiet time or using music as children take time to consider what they have heard.
9. Finally we often share the peace – Enabling pupils to demonstrate their love and care for one another. “May the peace of the Lord be with you – and also with you. 

Class Worship Areas

Each classroom has a Christian Worship area, which are changed every term and added to regularly as part of classroom learning and reflection. They are a place where the children can come and ponder, ask questions, reflect and pray.

The areas have our school vision and values prominently displayed and a cross as its focal point. It will include other artefacts, pictures and Bibles to engage the children in thought and prayer. Our termly Worship Newsletter is also displayed here. A copy is sent to all parents at the beginning of each term.

The worship areas usually follow the same theme as collective worship to enable the children to deepen their understanding and thoughts behind each Christian message. 

Worship Planning

Each term we explore one of our core values: Courageous Optimism, Heartfelt Compassion or Boundless Creativity. Additional gospel values are interwoven which we deliver as branches from our key values. The include:  Forgiveness, Respect, Trust, Service, Courage, Justice, Perseverance, Truthfulness, Generosity, Friendship, Compassion and Thankfulness. 

SIAMS

The Purpose of SIAMS

The Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) focuses on the impact of the Church school’s Christian vision on pupils and adults. This involves looking at the school’s Christian vision, the provision the school makes because of this vision and how effective this provision is in enabling all pupils to flourish. Church schools will employ a variety of strategies and styles appropriate to, and reflective of, their particular context in order to be distinctively and effectively Christian in their character and ethos.

SIAMS inspectors therefore do not look for a set template of what a Church school should be like, but rather take the particular context of the school into account and base their evaluation on the outcomes rather than the process.

The Evaluation Schedule has one inspection question: how effective is the school’s distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels, in enabling pupils and adults to flourish? This is explored through seven strands:

• Vision and Leadership
• Wisdom, Knowledge and Skills
• Character Development: Hope, Aspiration and Courageous Advocacy
• Community and Living Well Together
• Dignity and Respect
• The impact of collective worship
• The effectiveness of religious education

One overall grade is awarded reflecting the contribution of these strands to the flourishing of pupils and adults in a Church school. In addition, a standalone grade is awarded in all schools for collective worship.

We are delighted that  Fordham All Saints has been judged GOOD in its most recent Inspection: