• Children feel safe, loved and cared for – attendance has improved alongside behaviour and a significant reduction in exclusions has contributed to a culture that is calm, positive and impactful.   

• This is shown in Pupil and Parent view responses – 98% of children are happy at this school. 98% of children feel safe in school. 97% I would recommend this school to another parent. 96% the school supports my child’s wider personal development. While we are not perfect (yet) we are having a positive impact with children and families. This needs a date and if not recent re-doing! 

• Pupils and staff see contact with church as important and beneficial. Ministers are well received, and pupils and staff feel able to chat and welcome them into school.  We make weekly visits to the church.  The impact can be gauged by these quotes from children and staff.   

• “I haven't been to the church before I was in this school.  It’s kind of like our own church, isn’t it” Year 2 child   

• “When we do worship in the church it makes it feel more special.  It makes me understand the stories better because we are in a really special place”  Year 5 child 

•  “It’s lovely to be in a school where you visit the church so often.  In the last school I was in it would only be Christmas and Easter and so we didn’t really feel like part of the same community – it's not like that here,” new member of teaching staff. 

• LGC has a wide range of experience and ideas. This ensures that the Christian Distinctiveness of the school is always at the core of all decisions made. 

• Ensures that SIAMs SEF is updated over time and all Ethos Committee members contribute. The LGB can be confident that Self Evaluation is a working document that is robust and continuous through impact they see from pupils and staff and observations around the school/on-line. RE theme weeks are being developed twice a year, before Christmas and Easter. The first of these (Easter 2021) was well received and developed the school’s creative RE teaching focus through the story Waterbugs and Dragonflies which investigates resurrections.  This is revisited bi-annually, with the other years consisting of a deep dive into the Easter story, meaning and symbolism. 

• There is a renewed sense of purpose and direction which is rooted in the belief that the children at Churchfield deserve an outstanding education underpinned by Christian values and that this can and will be achieved.  This can be seen through staff wellbeing and through our school development plan. 

• Increasingly, the school community has at its heart this vision and the message it contains is evident in the life of the school. For example - Learn to Love, Love to learn - much love seen in the huge support the school gave to families during lockdown, ensuring they all had food and that vulnerable families received extra care.  Examples here are widespread – we have a dedicated family support worker who works with families and individual children.  Engage Somerset are involved in many activities such as getting people back into the workplace by providing laptops and support with literacy, mental health etc.  We are developing our food bank and are planning a clothes bank.  Free lunches are provided for nursery children, all staff and parents who volunteer to help at lunch times. 

• All staff are aware of the importance of RE and children receive high-quality teaching and learning which is well matched to their needs and abilities.  Cross curricular links can be made more effectively.  This is evidenced in planning and the books produced by the children. 

• The RE lead is working closely with local clergy to develop links between church and school.  Weekly worships are held in the church and there are half termly opportunities for the children to visit the church, linked to the school’s curriculum. The PRAISE club baked a harvest loaf for the altar in October. November 2021 saw a remembrance display erected in the church with contributions from across the school with poppies to remember sacrifice and white doves to hope for peace.  

• Through close collaborative and supportive working practices, the RE leader is enabled to quickly and effectively move the leadership of the subject forward across the school.  See above. There are close working relationships between Rosie, Martin and the ethos committee.  Staff development has happened through 1:1 support from Mrs Clements and a staff meeting on creative RE teaching.  Staff receive regular emails from Mrs Clements about ideas for reflection areas, administering Picture News worships etc. 

• Children, staff and parents understand the importance worship plays in the life of the school; they value and enjoy worship and it builds on the underlying Christian vision and values of the school.  Parents are beginning to identify the school as a church school and to understand how the Christian distinctiveness impacts on the way they and their children are supported – this has become even more evident during the current pandemic. A whole school reflection area has been developed to enhance our Christian distinctiveness. - this is not tokenistic but a place where children do take time/can take time to reflect both in class and as a whole school (in the school reflection area) children take ownership and responsibility for maintaining and improving this area as they see fit. 

• Positive feedback from nursery staff and recommendation to follow up with main school staff.   

• “It was really lovely to spend time thinking about ourselves.  What we did will help my practise with the children but it also made me reflect on myself too”  Nursery staff member 

• “I felt so calm afterwards.  It made me think about the importance of spiritual wellness in all our lives – especially those of our children who find it hard to regulate themselves.” Nursery staff member 

• The RE lead and Rev Martin meet each half term (from Summer 2022) to develop the worship rota for the following half term.  There is a narrative half term, following a book through from the bible – Summer 2 was Exodus – giving children a deep understanding of the structure of the bible.  The second half terms feature stories from the bible, developed over the week’s worship and related to the PRAISE values.  This broadens the children’s biblical knowledge and applies the messages from the bible to our everyday lives. 

• Autumn 2 – children to lead a worship led by Rev Martin 

• Prayer club run by a volunteer each Wednesday lunch time will investigate prayer in a creative context.  Children have created a wide range of ways to express prayer and the club is over subscribed every week. 

“I LOVE Wednesday!! Prayer club is amazing!  We can take home our prayers and wishes and make our mums and dads happy too!”