SouthbroomSt James Academy
Our school provides an educational environment where all children 'Belong, Believe and Flourish'. We celebrate our Christian distinctiveness and promote our six core values of friendship, trust, perseverance, forgiveness, courage and respect throughout all aspects of school life.
Our Theological Roots
The Apostle Paul, a devoted follower of Christ and passionate church planter, wrote his first letter to the Corinthians to guide and encourage the early Christian community in Corinth. Amongst his many teachings about living as followers of Christ, Paul emphasised that love must be the foundation of all we do. His letter explores how genuine faith expresses itself through loving actions, and we find our school's Bible verse woven into his heartfelt guidance to the early church.
"Do everything in love" 1 Corinthians 16:14
Paul did not have modern technology to allow his message to be spread far and wide, so his letter would have been carefully copied by hand and carried from church to church, read aloud by leaders to their congregations. As Paul concluded his first letter to the Corinthians with final greetings and instructions, he left them with this simple yet profound command that encompassed everything he had taught them. Whilst this letter is two thousand years old, it has now been passed to us and Paul's closing instruction is just as vital to all of us at our school today.
This forms the basis of everything we do at our school. We want our children to grow in friendship, trust, perseverance, forgiveness, courage and respect. However, we don't just want them to be concepts, we want them to be lived out through loving actions. If our children truly belong in our community, believe in these values, and flourish in their understanding of what they mean for themselves and our wider world, we should see it demonstrated in how they treat one another; faith shown through deeds done in love.
Collective Worship
Collective Worship provides opportunities to explore our Christian Vision. We value the daily opportunity to join together as children and staff to share together in prayer, praise and reflection. These times are led by staff, children and visitors from local churches and attended by children and adults. For us, worship is not something that is added to the timetable, it is a chance for us to belong.
We work closely with Reverend Richard, who works across the Devizes area at St. James' Church. We continue to learn from the ‘Open the Book’ team of parishioners who tell Bible Stories through drama, which the children greatly enjoy. We are always looking to increase our involvement with our local church community by involving them in our worship and joining in theirs.
We want our children to learn and experience what it means to worship. We acknowledge that each one of us, whether child or adult, is travelling our own spiritual journey. We offer the opportunity to find a point of peace and quiet in the day where we can explore ideas, and learn from the examples of Christian teachings and aspects of other faiths and cultures how we can best live our lives. We use a variety of stories, images, music, poetry, songs and drama to convey meanings and messages.
We know that all individuals are equally important and valued in God’s sight. Our worship is inclusive and delivered so everyone present feels included, whilst respecting the integrity of the different families and backgrounds we serve. The themes we cover supplement RE teaching and include our Values, the Scriptures and the Church Year.
We are proud to be a school with a distinctive church ethos. We seek to work with our Church to serve our community, to cherish and nurture everyone in our School and Church families, and to forge links.
Religious Education
Our RE Leader is Mrs Becky Monaghan and she also plans Collective Worship with the valued input from our Worship Team. We enjoy strong links with Salisbury Diocese who have regular input into the schools Christian Distinctiveness.
We recognise that RE can contribute to a child’s personal development, foster a sense of awe and wonder, provoke challenging questions about God and encourage concern and sensitivity towards others. We also aim to develop respect and understanding towards those from other faiths and cultures.
It is statutory for RE to be taught in schools and reported to parents. However, parents do have the right to withdraw their child from RE teaching and Worship if they are able to provide an alternative that provides the same learning objectives, and this could be discussed in detail with the school.
The syllabus has breadth and balance ensuring that Christianity is studied at each key stage and that children have the opportunity to learn about another principle world religion. We also include material from other worldviews as appropriate to the curriculum or context.
RE at Southbroom St James aims to allow children to develop their understanding of Christian beliefs and traditions, as well as put them into practice on a daily basis.
SIAMS
Schools are subject to a SIAMS inspection which explores the 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 overarching inspection question is examined through seven strands:
1. Vision and Leadership
2. Wisdom, Knowledge, and Skills
3. Character Development: Hope, Aspiration, and Courageous Advocacy
4. Community and Living Well Together
5. Dignity and Respect
6. Impact of Collective Worship
7. Effectiveness of Religious Education.
The purpose of SIAMS Inspection is the improvement of Church school education through a focus on the centrality of Christian vision, shining a spotlight on the fundamental right of all pupils and adults to flourish. SIAMS inspectors ask questions about and seek evidence that demonstrates the impact that the school’s vision has directly on the lives, learning, and development of all within the school community.
We seek to be an inclusive community. However, we respect the right of parents to withdraw their children from Collective Worship and Religious Education. This school expects that withdrawal will only be made following parental discussion with the Headteacher followed by written confirmation of withdrawal. The school will provide a system of suitable supervision for children withdrawn from Acts of Collective Worship and Religious Education. However, no additional work will be set or followed in this time.