Our Theologically Rooted Christian Vision

‘Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.’ Hebrews12.1-2

School’s Vision Statement

At All Saints’ Church of England School we have a Christian environment we are inclusive and we respect each other and people from other faiths and races. Together we have faith in Jesus and help each other to learn and achieve our potential in a safe, loving and caring family.

The whole school took part in a school vision week, each year group taking part of the school vision and learning about its meaning. 

Nursery 

'Since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses' 

Our focus has been on our vision, as part of a whole school focus on our Christian Vision at All Saints’ School. The Nursery focus is ‘Saints’. We began by looking at ‘What is a Saint?’ Then we looked at Christian Saints’ and coloured them in. We accompanied this with learning the song ‘Oh When The Saints’ Go Marching In’. Finally we joined a whole school celebration, which looked at the work each year group had done. 

Reception 

'Since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses' 

'Since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses...' was the part of All Saints' vision that Reception class focused on. 
    We started by looking at kindness, and created 'freeze frames' of things that we do for our friends in the classroom to be kind. We talked about what qualities a saint has before looking in detail at St Francis of Assisi. 
    St Francis was a saint who was kind to people, ecology and animals. Reception class each chose an animal to paint. The class then went on to meet Mrs Lightfoot's dog Kobe. As Francis of Assisi was a saint who was kind to animals, the children had a circle time on what items we could use to be kind and look after Kobe.

Year 1 

'Let us throw off everything that hinders and let us run with perseverance.'

The children learnt about the meaning of perseverance, which has become a mantra in our classroom. They talked about things that can hold us back and set us off our path. We learnt that 

We looked at 1 Decision resource and worked on our understanding of the word perseverance.

We decided that it meant that we always try hard, practice makes perfect and we never give up.

We learnt that at times if difficulty God is always by our side. 

God promises to be our comfort and "ever present help in times of trouble" (Psalm 46:1). God has not abandoned you, and He will help you endure!

Year 2

'Let us throw off everything that hinders and let us run with perseverance.'

Year 2 ‘Let us throw off everything that hinders and let us run with perseverance’

We have been looking at why the Bible is such a special book, and as part of our work we found out about Mary Jones. She worked for years to earn enough money to buy her own Bible, then walked miles and miles to the next town to get it.

She was so determined to have her own Bible and she didn’t let poverty get in her way of achieving her goal….even when there were no Bibles in the town, Mary pleaded with the local clergyman until he gave her his own. She showed remarkable perseverance…..

Would you have done this? Why?

Is there something so important that you would save up and walk miles?
The actions of Mary Jones led to the setting up of the Bible Society. She didn’t know that would happen but her actions have made a huge impact on the lives of thousands of Christian people worldwide.  In year 2 the children receive their own Bible from the people at All Saints School…..we love using our Bibles in our RE lessons and in our freetime!

Mary Jones made a difference and so could you!

Year 3

'The race marked out for us.'

During vision week we looked at …the race marked out for us … we discussed the future and what we would like to be - the life journey we would like to go and how Jesus will help us. 

Year 4 

'The race marked out for us.'

For our vision statement, Year Four explored "Let us run the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes in Jesus."

The children reflected on their own lives and how this impacts their decisions. We focused on making the right choices at home, in school and around the community. 

Year 5

'Fixing our eyes on Jesus'

Hebrews 12.1-2 

Year 5 looked at the school vision statement above but concentrated on the part, ‘fixing our eyes on Jesus’.  We remembered that Jesus is always with us and not just during collective worship.  With this in mind, the class created a display showing the words that we say before every collective worship with a view to displaying it in the school for all to see and be reminded that Jesus is omnipresent.  ‘God is here, his spirit is with us.  God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good. 

Year 6

'Fixing our eyes on Jesus'

Jesus spent his life serving other people and teaching us to follow his example. One way he taught people was through stories with special messages, known as parables. In Year 6, we read Luke 10:25-37: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (using the new bibles we received on All Saints’ Day). In the story, a man was attacked by robbers and left injured at the roadside. Two men passed by the injured man and ignored him, however the third man, a Samaritan, treated his wounds and carried him to an inn. The message of this parable was to love our neighbour, just as the Samaritan did. Jesus helped us to understand that our neighbour can be anybody, not just those that we know or like.

In our school, we serve people in our local community in lots of different ways, helping them just like the Samaritan in the parable. We reflected on the many different activities undertaken in school in service of our community. After this, we created photo collages so that we could share these activities with others.

Christian Values

We focused on the school Christian values learning from and through the scriptures then linking this to our everyday lives and actions.

Nursery 

Thankfulness

Nursery – we talked about what it means to be thankful. We chatted about times when we have done things or received things that we are thankful for. We coloured in positive images of being thankful and celebrating gratitude. Thessalonians 1:2 – We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.

Friendship

The children heavily focus upon Friendship in the Nursery and what it means to be a ‘good friend’. We coloured in positive images of friendship, had circle times about what it means to be a good friend and made 'Friendship’ bracelets for each other.

Reception

Truthfulness

Reception have been looking at the 'thruthfulness' Christian value. The Children heard the story of 'the Boy who cried wolf'. 
   In the story, a young shepherd entertains himself when he calls for help saying a wolf is threatening his flock when there is nothing is happening. When a wolf then does arrive, the villagers don't believe the shepherd boy, as he has not been truthful in the past. 
    The children took part in a circle time, undercovering the meaning of the story which is that if you lie often, people won't believe you when you tell the truth. 
     As a follow up activity, the children made the boys flock of sheep for our Christian Value Box. 
Proverbs 12:22 'The Lord detests lying lips, but delights in people who are trustworthy.'

Hope

The children in Reception have been looking at the Christian value of Hope.
The class heard the story of Noah's Ark. We acted out and listened to the song 'the animals went in two by two', painted pictures of animals from the ark, painted rainbows and the children also took part in a science experiment of making a rainbow. 
Genesis 8:4 'In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat'
Genesis 9:16 'Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on earth'.

 

Facility

Thankfulness 

Thankfulness

We worked together as a group, highlighted memories and everyday moments we are thankful for. We talked about how we and others might feel physically and emotionally when we are thankful and who do we share those feelings with and why. The children talked about what is important to them and what they are thankful for. We used picture exchange communication symbols to help us all say and see what we are thankful for to build our thankfulness Christian Value Box.

Thessalonians 5:18 - give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Perseverance

Perseverance

The children in the facility learnt about God’s 7 days of creation. We looked at God’s purposeful actions that brought the universe into existence. The children worked together and thought about all the different challenges they are faced with every day and realised with perseverance they have overcome many obstacles, feeling proud of what they have achieved.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the lord has promised to those who love him. James1:12

Year 1 

Friendship

The children in Year One have been learning about the Christian value of friendship.

They listened to the bible verse about how Jesus made friends and shared his love with everyone.

“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ He told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Matthew was doing his job, but when Jesus said, “Follow Me,” Matthew got right up and followed Him. Matthew 9:9 

The children discussed what qualities make a good friend and wrote down words that were important to them. What do you think is important in friendship?

Forgiveness

We discussed that we might not always make the right choices and decisions and that even adults get things wrong- and that's okay, it's about learning from those moments and asking for forgiveness. We thought of times when we'd made a mistake and asked a friend to forgive us. We talked about our classroom behaviour caterpillar and how we forgive and learn. We learnt that God forgives us and joined in the 'hymn; 'Oh happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away'.   

Year 2 

Trust

Jesus calms the storm Mark 4:35-41

Year 2 looked at the story in Mark’s gospel, where Jesus calmed the storm.

Jesus and his disciples are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm arises causing the disciples to panic. Jesus is asleep in the boat, and when the disciples wake him he simply commands the waves and wind to “be still” and there is instant calm.

This story tells us that Jesus can stop a storm with his words, he has power over nature and over everything. We need to trust him in the calm and the storm in our lives.

If we put our trust in God and his promises, then we really do have no reason to panic!

We used mixed collage to show this scene.

Forgiveness

The children in Year Two have been learning about the Christian value of

Forgiveness.

They listened to the parable of the 'Unforgiving Servant' which is a story that Jesus told to show the importance of forgiving others. It is found in the Gospel of Matthew 18:21-35.

We thought about situations where we needed to forgive others...and where we needed someone to forgive us.

Some of us wrote these examples onto leaf shapes and we created a 'Forgiveness Tree' for our display...another group arranged the scenes from the parable in the correct order.

Forgiving others...or indeed yourself can be hard. We looked at our hands and practiced 'forgiving fingers'- five steps to help us-one for each finger....Breathe...Listen...Accept...Apologise (if you need to)... Love......

We drew round our hands, wrote these steps on each finger, and on the palm, we wrote what we would do to show we are sorry. We enjoyed decorating these with our favourite colours!

In Ephesians 4:32 We are told to be kind and compassionate with one another, and to forgive others just as Christ forgives us. Jesus often talked about how forgiving others enables us to receive God's abundant blessings in our own lives.

At All Saints we try to follow the example set by Jesus, even though it is sometimes difficult to do!

Year 3

Peace

In Year 3 we looked at the bible reference Make every effort to make peace - Hebrews 12:14  

We discussed what is bothering us in the world at the moment and all the wars that are going on and the impact of these wars on the children in these areas- and the global injustice - and how we should make peace - all we are saying is give peace a chance - John Lennon 

Trust

Year 4

Hopefulness

Year 4 looked at the parable of Norah’s Ark. We discussed ‘hopefulness’ and explored the story further. In Forest Schools, we reflected on the story and made some wooden disks to represent the different patterns for the animals. We had an awe and wonder moment thinking about all the different animals and the magnitude of patterns and diversity around us. We looked at the range of leaves within the woodland and the children were invited to join in with reflection and mindfulness. We decorated our box with rainbows to symbolise God's promise. The children recorded their hopes for the future and shared their ideas in a whole school collective worship.

Year 5

Responsibility

For our cross in the hall, we had the subject of ‘Responsibility’.  In particular, we discussed how we can all encourage responsibility and emphasised the importance of helping others.  The children were asked how many of them liked to help. Were they always willing to tidy away their toys? Did they help in class? How often did they help their parents? 

As a class, the children then created a ‘pledge box’ in which they placed a pledge to take responsibility for doing something which would help others.   Their pledges ranged from tidying their bedrooms more often without being asked to helping clean up around the house. 

Year 6

Justice

In Year 6, we explored the Christian value of “Justice” through two thought-provoking activities. The first, “A Divided World,” demonstrated the division of World resources and the significant
difficulties poorer parts of the World experience due to lack of resources. The second activity, banana split, helped us to understand the vital role of Fairtrade in ensuring a just deal for all workers. Reflecting on the activities helped us to recognise the injustices that exist in the modern World and the importance of charity in supporting those that need it.

Spirituality As a school we have been looking closely at what spirituality means to us. We discussed that it's a feeling, a sense of belonging, of something greater than oneself, a belief, a comfort, a connection, a reflection. Something that sometimes is hard to define.  So we decided to capture moments with the children and reflect on what spirituality looked like to us as a school community. The next time you're visiting take a moment to look at our captured moments on the board in the entrance hall, showing our journey so far...

 

Awesome Saints

Awesome Saints' the children in lower Key Stage 2 meet every week with friends from All Saints' Church - they have a bible story and then a craft activity. 

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Foodbank

We work closely with Stuart from North Lakes Food bank. He brings Timmy the tuna into our collective worships to share Gods word through bible stories and tells us about the important work he does in our community. We collect food for the food bank.

Preloved uniform

We collect and share pre-loved uniform with our school community, the rail is available to access everyday. The clothes are taken to the summer and Christmas fairs. The children understand that we are looking after God’s word through recycling and we are helping each other.

Community

We visit care homes in and around Cockermouth and share the Christmas spirit through carols and skilled musicians.

Life Exhibition

 

Crosses across the World

The cross is a symbol of hope, love and salvation. Every class in school makes a cross and learns about its heritage and where in the world it originated. 

Nursery - Bangladeshi Crosses

Bible Link: James 2:1-5

The Bangladeshi Crosses are a simple design and easier for the Nursery children to create. They also incorporate cutting and counting skills.

They were chosen due to their Christian link of God’s love in Christ based on the symbolic nature of the cross and links to the verse James 2:1-5. Their origin is Bangladeshi, created from bamboo leaves which are readily available in Bangladesh. They were designed by a lady named Mrs Bitihika Baroi, a member of the local church. She created them to sell for a small fee, creating a church fund for the local people to loan money from. They use the money to start a small business or grow crops. The aim is to enable them to be self-sufficient and debt free.

Facility - Partnership Cross Bible Link: Galatians 3:26-29

The Christian community in the United Kingdom is made up of a great number of church members who worship in different buildings and a variety of styles. Among these are the churches of the African-Caribbean tradition. Sadly, there is often little contact between black Christians and white congregations. One group that has been trying to encourage links between them is the Centre for Black and White Christian Partnership. Its aim is to develop respect and understanding between churches, building bridges of friendship and overcoming the fears that exist even between Christians.

Reception - Asian Crosses

Bible Link: Matthew 13:45-46

	The Christian faith has ancient roots in many parts of Asia. This ancient cross combines symbols from Asian culture with roots of the gospel and hopes for the future.
At each of the points of this cross is a set 'pearl'. The four 'pearls' represent the pearls of the Gospel story as told by the four Gospel writers. The teachings of Jesus are that pearl of great price for which it is worth sacrificing all else.
	Off the coasts of Asia, pearl-divers plunge into the depths of the sea to search for the most costly and beautiful pearls, which they extract from oyster shells. This practice itself provides an analogy for the continuous search for the truth about life and its value.

 

Year 1 - Latin American God's Eye Crosses Bible Link: Psalm 68:4-8 The eye is meant to symbolise the loving action of God who watches over Christians, protecting his people and guiding them into a Christ-like life.

Year 2 - Crosses from El Salvador

Bible Link: John 3:16-18

	For Christians, the cross is a sign of hope because it symbolises Jesus' resurrection after his death. In El Salvador, images of the sun, flowers, animals, people, doves, angels and homes represent reminders of the good things in life. Their crosses represent hope for a brighter and peaceful future in their country. Our crosses show the things that are important in children's lives.

Year 3 - American Crosses Bible Link: John 14:21
These are our American Crosses - we learnt a song in sign language and we understand how I love Jesus and how Jesus Loves me.
Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.

Year 4 - Maltese Cross Bible Link: Acts 27:43-28:5, 7-9

The Maltese Cross is a symbol of protection. It means that the firefighter that wears this cross is willing to lay down his life, just as the Crusaders sacrificed their lives for their fellow men so many years ago. The Maltese Cross is a Firefighter's Badge of Courage. The Maltese Cross was awarded to Malta on the 16th May 1942 by King George VI following bombing by Nazi-occupied Germany. We talked about how people offer their services to others and the Maltese Cross is considered a badge of honour. The Year 4 children designed and coloured their crosses and wrote down the characteristics and qualities of a good friend.

Year 5 - Celtic Crosses Bible Link: Acts 17:22-28 Year 5 children have discovered that the Celtic Cross is a symbol with complex symbolism that reflects both Christian and Celtic traditions. It originated in the early medieval period and spread through Celtic regions of northern Europe. The cross itself represents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, while the circle in the cross symbolises continuity, eternity, and the spiritual realm. It is commonly found in graveyards, public monuments, artwork, and fashion, and remains a symbol of Christianity with pagan associations.

Year 6 Aboriginal Crosshatch Art

Bible Link: Mark 10:35-45

 

Cross-hatching is an ancient Aboriginal style of art. It is made by crossing lots of parallel lines over each other. We used this technique to develop a design for our crosses.