Distinctiveness as a Church School

We are a Voluntary Controlled Church of England School. This means we have close links with St. Mary’s Church but are controlled by the Local Authority. There are a number of ways in which the school, in the spirit of its Christian foundation, hopes to give meaning to this status.

Firstly, our school sets out to be a place where the study and practice of the Christian faith are taken seriously and always with sensitivity towards those of other faiths or no religious beliefs. This will be expressed not only in Religious Education lessons and in acts of collective worship but throughout the life of the school.

Secondly, it seeks to use the extra dimension to school life, which the foundation brings, by drawing on that reminder of Christian commitment in the past to create in the present an atmosphere of trust and understanding, within which moral and spiritual development can be nurtured.

Thirdly, and much more generally, the school tries to be a caring community within which the sanctity of the individual is cherished.

The Foundation Governors believe that values are more than a set of aims recorded in a code of conduct; they need to be realised daily through the quality of relationships and the care of people - both singly and collectively. They believe the school will have succeeded if it brings these values into being and leads others to do the same.

The school has close links with the parish church of St. Mary’s, Hinckley. The vicar of St. Mary's and clergy of local parishes lead assemblies each week and the children attend St. Mary’s Church for Harvest, Christmas and Easter celebrations. Our end of year Leaver’s service is also a key event which is held in the church.

Classes also visit St. Marys and other local churches as part of our Collective Worship and for their R.E. work.

Prospective pupils do not have to be members of The Church of England. We welcome all children to our school regardless of religious belief or creed, and regardless of race and ethnicity. As a Christian school we offer a special level of caring, support and love for those who work here or are connected with the school in any way.

As a Church of England Primary School, we are periodically inspected as a part of the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS), in accordance with Section 48 of the 2005 Education Act.

A SIAMS inspection is similar to an OFSTED inspection, but concentrates on the Christian Distinctiveness of our school and in particular the religious, spiritual and nurturing aspects of school life.

Our latest inspection was on 15^th November 2019 and found that 'The distinctiveness and effectiveness of St. Mary’s as a Church of England school are good.'

Please see the final report below.