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Christian Distinctiveness

As a Church Primary School, Steyning CofE Primary works hard to develop and sustain the school’s Christian distinctiveness.  We work in close partnership with Reverend Mark and the Church of St. Andrew and St. Cuthman’s.  Governors have also formed an Ethos Committee and work with us in order to nurture the school’s Christian ethos and ensure Christian faith is manifested through every aspect of school life.

Our core values are Love, happy, respect, collaborative, curious and brave.  Although these values may be supported and shared by Christians and non-Christians alike, theological backgrounds and biblical references help to explore what is distinctively Christian about each value.

Happy

 “This is the day that the lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118: 24)

Respect

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honour” (Romans 12:10)

Collaborative

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

Curious

“I am eager to learn all that you want me to do; help me to understand more and more.” (Psalm 119:32)

Brave

"But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work." (2 Chronicles 15:7)

Love

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." (1 Corinthians 13:4)

We have daily collective worship, including a weekly ‘Songs of Praise’.  We also have a weekly service where a visitor speaks to the children about their faith or leads worship if of a Christian denomination, We have had visits from Archdeacon Fiona, Iman Idris, Open the Book, SPLASH, Fr. Ricketts, Rev Dillingham, to name a few.

Religious Education is a core subject at Steyning CofE Primary School and is timetabled weekly.  As a Church School, Christianity forms the major study in Religious Education lessons.  We use ‘Understanding Christianity as our main resource. We ensure that we follow the West Sussex Agreed Syllabus for RE. 

We also have a duty to foster an accurate and increasing understanding of religions and world views.  As a result, pupils will gain greater insight into the world in which they are growing up.  They will also be able to appreciate the faith of others and develop a deeper understanding of their own beliefs and practices.  These outcomes contribute to harmonious relationships within and between communities, promoting social inclusion and combating prejudice. We use ‘Love to Celebrate’ as our main resource for world religions

Each classroom has a prayer space or ‘reflection area’ to enable children to explore faith and spirituality in a safe, creative, and interactive way.

We have a dedicated prayer box where pupils, parents, staff, and visitors alike can write a prayer.  These are then read aloud in Collective Worship.