| July 2010 |
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Dear All, Last week I was invited to represent the Parish Church at the open evening for 'new starters' and their parents held at our Church School: Green Lane. I was only too willing to take part in the carousel laid on for the parents: here they could meet the Foundation Stage teachers and ask any questions; buy the all important first 'school uniform'; see what their little ones would be eating as their school dinners; get to know the 'Before and After' school team who offer extended school activities and meet with the Parent/School Liaison Officer. It was a good and helpful event. Importantly for me though it marked a shift in the parish/school relationship. I have always had good relationships with schools (Church or State) in my parishes but there is a greater confidence within the church nationally in the role we have to play in our church schools and of their importance within our church life. My presence at the new starters' evening came about through the school's Christian Ethos Committee: the committee is only recently formed but it sits alongside the Governing Bodies' other formal committees (Premises, Curriculum, Personnel and Finance) as a means by which the whole school can focus its thoughts upon how Christian values can be affirmed, encouraged and presented within the school community. Its deliberations are then reported back to the whole Governing Body (rather than being kept as the preserve of those 'keen on religion'). So what was I able to say to the parents of youngsters coming into the school? Our Christian ethos as a school is all encompassing. It may well find its focus in daily 'Collective Worship' (please note we don't call it 'assembly' any more) but our committee is, for example, concerned with how the school promotes a safe environment for learning; respect for people and things; the provision of opportunities for reflection and prayer; how we make visible symbols of our faith; how we encourage good and healthy employment practise; and how we develop our staff (let alone our children). We hope very soon to display more of our children's work in church now that the building project has come to an end but we also want to display information about the church in school but there is a challenge for the church to create displays of its work in school! Readers of the Pilgrim will have noticed that we hope to keep you up to date with what's going on in school and my hope is that school and church will pray for one another. We are blessed in having a talented and creative staff at our school and I give thanks for their part in our service to the community here in Barnard Castle. Alec
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