'You have planted them, they have taken root, watch them grow and bear fruit.' ~ Jeremiah 12:2

St. James' Junior School is a Church of England School.

 

What does this mean?

The Church of England has always been concerned with education in many forms and the history of Church schools began when the National Society for the Promotion of Education was founded in 1811. There are 4700 Church of England Schools in the United Kingdom. All Church Schools are supported by their local Diocesan Board of Education. The Local Diocesan Board of Education for St. James' Junior School is the Derby Diocese Board of Education. You can find out more information about the Derby Diocese Board of Education by visiting their website https://derby.anglican.org/education/

 

There are many different types of Church Schools. St. James' Junior School is a Voluntary Aided (VA) School.  Some key characteristics of a VA school are:

• The Church or Foundation governors are an absolute majority.

• Governors appoint and employ all staff.

• Governors determine the RE syllabus which should reflect the Anglican tradition and worship reflects the Anglican tradition.

 For more information about the Church of England, including Church of England Schools visit their website https://www.churchofengland.org/ 

 

Church of England Vision for education

The Church of England's vision for education is deeply Christian, with Jesus' promise of 'life in all its fullness' at its heart.

In line with the Church of England's role as the established Church, their vision is for the common good of the whole community.

 

Educating for wisdom, knowledge and skills: enabling discipline, confidence and delight in seeking wisdom and knowledge, and developing talents in all areas of life.

 

Educating for hope and aspiration: enabling healing, repair and renewal, coping wisely when things go wrong, opening horizons and guiding people into ways of fulfilling them.

 

Educating for community and living well together: a core focus on relationships, participation in communities and the qualities of character that enable people to flourish together.

 

Educating for dignity and respect: the basic principle of respect for the value and preciousness of each person, treating each person as a unique individual of inherent worth.

 

How does St. James' Junior School promote Christian Values?

Our school ethos, GROW, is at the heart of everything we do and encourages children, parents, visitors and staff to respect the Christian principles in their everyday lives.

 

Collective Worship

Every day we celebrate Collective Worship in School.

For more information about Collective Worship, please click here

SIAMS Inspection

All Church of England dioceses and the Methodist Church use the Church of England Education Office's framework for the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005.  The SIAMS Evaluation Schedule sets out the expectations for the conduct of the Statutory Inspection of Anglican, Methodist and ecumenical Schools under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005.

 

SIAMS inspection focuses on the impact of the Church school's Christian vision on pupils and adults. This involves looking at the school’s Christian vision, the provision the school makes because of this vision and how effective this provision is in enabling all pupils to flourish. Church schools will employ a variety of strategies and styles appropriate to, and reflective of, their particular context in order to be distinctively and effectively Christian in their character and ethos. SIAMS inspectors therefore do not look for a set template of what a Church school should be like, but rather take the particular context of the school into account and base their evaluation on the outcomes rather than the process.

 

The Evaluation Schedule has one inspection question: how effective is the school’s distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels, in enabling pupils and adults to flourish?

This is explored through seven strands:

• Vision and Leadership

• Wisdom, Knowledge and Skills

• Character Development: Hope, Aspiration and Courageous Advocacy

• Community and Living Well Together

• Dignity and Respect

• The impact of collective worship

• The effectiveness of religious education 

 

One overall grade is awarded reflecting the contribution of these strands to the flourishing of pupils and adults in a Church school. In addition a standalone grade is awarded in all schools for collective worship and in voluntary aided (VA) schools and former VA schools for religious education (RE). This grade is based on teaching and learning alone.

 

To read our latest SIAMS Inspection Report please click on the link below.

Religious Education

To find out more about how Religious Education is taught at St. James' Junior School please visit the Curriculum section of our website by clicking on the link below.