Our Church School

 

 

School Ethos, Vision & Values

'That they have life, Life in all its fullness'  John 10:10

 Compassion, Courage, Service, Excellence

Our Ethos

At Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School we seek to be a community where all are welcome and encouraged to take their place, regardless of our differences. We encourage hard work and perseverance and we expect everyone to strive to do their very best for themselves and for each other. Our entire community is made strong through collaboration: learning from one another, supporting one another and challenging one another.

We want our lives to be crafted by the teachings of Jesus and the way we work together to mirror His love: patient, kind and never-failing. (1 Corinthians 13)

 

Vision

The vision for our school is underpinned by theology. Our school Bible verse is found in John 10 v 10: 'That they have life, Life in all its fullness’

Put simply, we want all our children to experience all that the world has to offer, to know their importance within it and to be a beacon of light for all that is good. We guide them to recognise the light that their talents, gifts, character and acts of kindness can shine into a dark world, making it a better place for all those around them.

Values and Collective Worship

Our underlying Christian values are explored through exciting, interactive and relevant Collective Worship sessions each week. We remind ourselves of our core values to be Adventurous, Creative, Respectful, Responsible, Kind and to Persevere each week before diving into a new 'Big Word' to reflect upon. Teaching our values so explicitly allows us to mould a shared understanding of how we live well together. 

 

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Ethos and Values

Our Vision statement

Our vision has been created by the Ethos and Welfare Committee, Staff and pupils. It drives everything we do at Buckland St. Mary C of E School. 

'That they may have life, life in all its fullness.' John 10:10

At BSM C of E Primary School everyone matters. We strive to be an inclusive community providing an outstanding education for all. Our lives are enriched through the teaching of Christian Values to grow as global citizens in an ever-changing world.

The Christian values that we promote are: Respect, Responsibility, Perseverance, Integrity, Tolerance and Courage.


We aim to: 
•  Develop in our children an understanding of Christianity and the place of God in our world and in our lives
•  Provide each child with the ultimate learning experience to enable them to achieve the highest standards
•  Inspire a love of lifelong learning
•  Equip our children with the skills and tools to become global citizens
•  Equip our children to deal with change
•  Respect individuality and celebrate diversity
•  Motivate and enable all to achieve their personal best
•  Create a safe and trusting environment where children are encouraged to express opinion, be independent learners, take responsibility, and improve by learning from their experiences
•  Praise all types of achievement
•  Create in all a sense of belonging

Collective Worship

'They shall have life, life in all its fullness.' John 10:10

At Buckland St Mary, everything we do is underpinned by our vision. In order for children to have ‘Life in all its fullness’ it is important we meet daily as a family and join in a service of Collective Worship. We celebrate time together and reflect at the end of each day. 

Our Collective Worships held in school always include a prayer, song, Question of the Day and the lighting of our Pilgrim Candles. This is the candle the Year 6 children bring back from Wells Cathedral after their ‘Pilgrim Day’ each year. 

 

Our Collective Worship Routine

Monday- Collective Worship led by Reverend Jim Fallon or Reverend Nick Griffin 

Tuesday- Open the Book service at Buckland St Mary Church 

Wednesday - Choral worship and world views

Thursday- Values, collective worship and safeguarding

Friday- Celebration Assembly with families 

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Open the Book 

Buckland St Mary School are lucky enough to be invited to ‘Open the Book’ held at the church each week. A group of dedicated volunteers lead the Collective Worship, bringing the Bible alive with artistic props and acting. We are very grateful for what they teach us about God and his love for us. 

Our Worship Table 

Our worship table holds a number of valuable items to our school. First, we have our cross which personifies God’s love. We also have our school Koinonia Bowl which holds our individual pebbles. Each member of the school community (staff and children) put a pebble into the bowl to symbolise our belonging and fellowship as a school. At the end of the year, Year 6 take their pebble with them on their journey to secondary school to symbolise that although they have left Buckland St Mary, the memories of the life we have shared together goes on. 

Our School Prayer 

We have our own school prayer which is unique to us and our school. We share this at the end of the week in Collective Worship. 

This is our school, 

May there be peace in this place, 

Let the rooms be full of contentment, 

Let there be love here, 

Love for one another, 

Love for all people, 

And love of life itself,

Let us remember that as many hands build a home, 

So many hearts make a school. 

 

Church

Buckland St Mary Church

We are very grateful to Buckland St Mary Parish Council and Reverend Jim Fallon for welcoming us into their church to celebrate the Christian festivals of Harvest, Christmas and Easter as well as our weekly Open the Book Collective Worship. We enjoy celebrating these festivals with current pupils, ex-pupils, their families and the Buckland community. 

Buckland St Mary students help to lead these Christian festivals with acting, singing and prayer.

 

Question time with the Vicar

Each class is lucky enough to have a ‘Question time with the Vicar’ session every term. Students are given the opportunity to ask an expert about the topic they are learning in their Religious Education lessons or any general questions about the Bible or God.

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Collective Worship 28th Jan 2021 Download

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