Collective Worship

Winsley is a Church of England school. The school was provided by the local parish church of St Nicholas and continues to work in partnership with the church and with the Diocese of Salisbury.

Being a school with a Christian Ethos means that we:

• tell the Christian story;
• invite pupils, staff and parents to experience this story;
• seek to conduct ourselves and order the life of the school according to this story.

In practice, this means (among other things) that our Collective Worship will often be based on a Bible story or Christian principle; the main Christian festivals will be celebrated (often with a special service at St Nicholas), and children will be encouraged to explore what part faith might play in their lives.

We encourage all our children to be spiritually inquisitive, empowering them to make informed choices that will enhance their ability to achieve lifelong success and fulfilment as set out in the School Vision.

Our identity as a Church of England school is central to the character and vision of the school and therefore we will always aim to do justice to our Christian foundation.

As an inclusive school, however, we encourage our children to respect the views and beliefs of each individual. Our RE curriculum develops a breadth of experience and understanding of all world faiths and we aim to ensure that all children have an informed and tolerant view of cultural diversity. This is expressed in our Equality policy. Should they wish, parents can arrange to withdraw their child(ren) from RE lessons and Collective Worship.