Being a Church School
Aims of our School
Ryhall CE Academy is a place where we will provide the very best education for all to ensure happiness & achievement.
We recognise, celebrate and nurture individual, spiritual, social and moral strengths through the extra layer of support that being a Church School brings. Through our work we aim to reflect the love of God in our daily lives, in all that we do.
It is through this way that every child is guided to develop the necessary skills, independence and confidence to enjoy growing and learning together. Our responsibility and collective focus is to inspire all to:
Living life in all its fullness,* making memories and building futures.
*John 10:10
Being Part of a Church School
As a Church school we believe in a community where each person has:
- the right to love and be loved regardless of differences
- an awareness of spiritual thinking and reflection
- the ability to relate to and communicate with others
- a sense of their importance as a citizen within the school and its wider community
- a sense of appreciation, wonder and curiosity of the world around us
- the strength to build resilience to cope with set-backs and see positivity.
Our Christian Values
We endeavour to build our school on our core Christian values:
Compassion, Friendship, Hope, Perseverance, Respect, Trust as well as the value of Resilience.
Values Passport:
Our Values Passport provides the perfect opportunity for our children to live out our values and consider them in all aspects of their lives. We encourage our children to be caring people and active citizens in their local and wider community through Living Our Values Everyday (LOVE.) One of the examples of this is through our 'life in all it's fullness' challenge which encourages our families and children to engage in activities that help bolster charity and community spirit. As children and families make efforts to write and record how they might be demonstrating our value, they earn a badge (designed by our pupils) which we make in-house.
These values are embedded in our policies, curriculum and activities and are clearly seen in all that our school family does together. This leads to a school where all children and adults are valued as individuals.
Religious Education
We have close links with our local Church (St John’s Church, Ryhall) and who help support with the curriculum and with encouraging community links. We visit St John’s Church regularly and encourage all the children to feel comfortable and relaxed in this inspiring space. In Religious Education we learn about Christianity and other world religions.
The children encounter and respond to a range of stories, artefacts and other religious materials. We also learn about similarities and differences and to respect other people’s faiths and views and about the world around them.
Children will talk about what is important to them and others, valuing themselves, reflecting on their own feelings and experiences and developing a sense of belonging.
We follow the schemes of work and guidance provided with the PDET Syllabus and Understanding Christianity.
Collective Worship
We have a daily opportunity to join tighter in this way as a school community, introducing the children to Christian stories and songs and those of other world faiths. We support staff development in collective worship to ensure that this time is inclusive, invitational and inspiring.
We encourage the children to be active participants and take a lead themselves. Regular visitors including Reverends Jo, as well as speakers from charities and the local community brings a rich variety to this important part of school life.
Our Daily Prayer
Dear Lord and Father of all,
Thank you for today.
Thank you for ways in which you provide for us all.
For Your protection and love we thank you.
Help us to focus our hearts and minds now on what we are about to learn.
Inspire us by Your Holy Spirit as we listen and write.
Guide us by your eternal light as we discover more about the world around us.
We ask all this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Ethos Council
This group is responsible for ensuring our Christian ethos is considered in every area of school life and for helping us all to be reflective. This group works with members of our local parish (St John’s and Ryhall Methodist) and Miss Watson to plan, deliver and evaluate some of our collective worship, consider support for our local community as well as overseeing charitable fundraising and donations.
St. John's Church, Ryhall
St John's Church is situated in the heart of the village.
The children visit church many times a year to take part in collective worship, including Easter, Remembrance, Christmas and Harvest as well as the start of each term. We also visit at the end of the year when Year 6 are moving on to Secondary school.
The church is also used for study by many of the children in school. The children use the gravestones as evidence of weathering and erosion and for gathering evidence of average lifespans in Victorian times. In Key Stage 1, the children spend time learning about the importance of the font, bells, windows and other artefacts inside the church, ready for their learning as they begin to develop their understanding of The Trinity.
To find out a little more about the Church and its work, please do take the time to visit their website (see link below) which also includes links to other neighbouring churches (including Ryhall Methodist Church with whom we also work).
