St. Michael's as a Church of England School

We are proud to be a Church of England school, forming part of Bath & Wells Diocese. Supported by our Christian Ethos & Christian Values, we aim to provide a loving, enriched environment for children of all faiths and beliefs. 

We want all our children to live their lives to the fullest - regardless of background or starting points - we want all children, staff and the wider community to flourish. We place our trust in God to help us achieve our full potential in all aspects of life. Our strong Christian vision is based on John 10:10: I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness. The verse comes in the context of Jesus teaching his followers that he, Jesus, is the Good Shepherd; the image is of a shepherd who knows his flock well, and whose voice the sheep recognise, who has the best interest of the sheep at heart. The shepherd wants them all to flourish - to live a full and varied life. Our vision is underpinned by our core Christian Values: Love, Integrity, Respect, Service, Perseverance and Appreciation.

We have strong links with our local churches - St. Andrew's and St. Michael's. We contribute to their services and hold our own special services in both . Various church members lead our worships once a fortnight. On other days of the week worship is led by the teaching staff and sometimes by the children themselves. The children play an active part in worship but there is also time for stillness, reflection and prayer. We also hold ‘Celebration Worships’, this is a time when parents are invited into school to join with us as we celebrate and give thanks for the children’s achievements.

Each half term we focus on one of our core Christian values, and is given a full term's reflection. Pupils and staff are central to the delivery of these themes, all who visit our school are given the opportunity to spiritually discuss, reflect and question during both whole school and class collective worships. 

Welcome from our School Chaplain

My name is Mrs Chisling. I have worked in schools for the past 8 years and am delighted to have been welcomed into the St Michael's team. As the Church School Co-ordinator I have the opportunity to use my firm Christian beliefs to be the link between the church and our school. In every aspect of my job I adore watching and supporting the children grow, and each Christian festival fills me with so much pride as I listen to the children sing and the parents smile with joy.

The Main Tasks and Responsibilities of a School Chaplain are:

• To offer prayerful, pastoral presence within the school community, to meet people where they are and be ready to listen to them and offer spiritual and pastoral care.  [A chaplain or may spend time in spaces such as the school gate, the playground, staff room, or classrooms.
• To offer distinctive and inclusive Christian leadership, to respond to questions of faith when they are asked, but not to assume or impose.
• To lead festival assemblies and worship, to offer times and opportunities for prayer and to faithfully pray for the school community and help the school live out its vision, ethos and values.
• To create and lead a team of Pupil Chaplains that will involve but not limited to: Collective Worship servers, buddy bench during lunch times, raising money for charity, sharing knowledge of our core Christian values, Bible understandings and Christian spaces.
• Working in partnership with the local churches and other agencies, to offer practical compassion to all in the school community with a particular focus on a local charitable organisation.
• To be present at punctuation marks in the life of the schools, the beginnings and endings, celebrations and tragedies; and to listen, care and pray through such times.
• To undertake any training that is needed for the role, for instance Exploring Chaplaincy or Mental Health First Aid.

Spirituality at St. Michael's CofE First School

At St. Michael's we believe that there are three distinct strands to our understanding of spirituality. These are:

• a feeling of unexplained peace and joy;
• a feeling that longs to connect with the beauty of God's creation;
• and each of us has our own spirituality which is a gift to use and develop, a gift to grow and nurture.

Two Churches - One Family

We are very fortunate to have two churches within walking distance of the school and we use both regularly and they play a key role in our school's life. Every Thursday the whole school visits St Andrew's Church, to participate in whole school collective worship.  Local residents will be familiar with the sight of St Michael's children, in their uniforms walking to church.  All children love attending the Thursday church services and truly being part of the church community. When there is a religious celebration such as Christmas and Easter all the children at St Michael's C of E First School visit either St Andrew’s Church or St Michael's Church to participate.  We have approximately six additional services a year.

Father Simon, our parish priest has recently been appointed to the Diocese of Truro and, therefore, we are supporting the parish in the recruitment of a new parish priest. Meanwhile we are very lucky to have our weekly church worship officiated on a rota basis by the following: Jules (the parish children and families worker), Lynne (Exmoor Youth Project), Jess (Exmoor Youth Project). We are extremely grateful to have such a great, supportive church family.

Several members of the St Michael's and St Andrew's congregation are also actively involved in the school and act as foundation governors on our Parent & Community Governance Group (PCG).