Our Church/School Partnership
Church Services
Services are held at the end of each half term. Below tells you which class will be leading the service and what it is about. An app will be sent out closer to the time with the exact date and time of the service.
Autumn 1: Harvest- Year 2
Autumn 2: Christmas- Year 5
Spring 1: Lent- Year 1
Spring 2: Easter- Year 4
Summer 1: Pentecost- Year 3
Summer 2: Moving On- Year 6
Religious Education and Worship
Our identity as a Church of England School lies at the heart of our ethos and we enjoy close links with our parish church, St. Simon’s, Southport. Our commitment to sharing our Christian identity is embedded within our Vision and Values and the curriculum as a whole.
At Bishop David Sheppard CE (A) Primary School we have six main Christian Values, which are: Compassion, Forgiveness, Endurance, Fairness, Friendship and Respect. Each half term the whole school focuses on one of our values, which means the children really get to explore these values in greater depth.
Our Religious Education lessons are based on the syllabus provided by the Diocese of Liverpool. Lessons are challenging and thought provoking as children are encouraged to deepen their understanding of their faith and consider how they can relate this to their own lives.
Collective Worship forms our thoughts for the week and shapes our year, as we gather both at school and at church to sing praise, listen to God’s Word the Bible, and prayerfully reflect on how our faith contributes to our engagement with the world. We enjoy worship led by the headteacher, members of staff, our Parish Vicar, and other members of the Christian community. Children are also encouraged to plan, lead and evaluate worship throughout the school.
Church School Links
Bishop David Sheppard CE (A) Primary School is at the heart of our Parish and Community life and we are both proud and delighted at the close links and excellent relationships that exist between the Church and School.
Our school motto is ‘Following Jesus, together we succeed’ and this is something that we try to express in our partnership. Our Christian values are not just for the children but are for all of us to develop and reflect in our lives, as we seek to live this out.
Jesus spent his time with people. He journeyed with them, built relationships with them, encouraged them to trust him, and helped them to be the people God called them to be. This is what we, both adults and children, hope to point people towards as we go about our daily lives.
Being part of Bishop David Sheppard CE (A) Primary School is being part of St. Simon’s Church. One worshipping, learning community bound together by our faith. We are one community under God, with a relationship of compassion, thankfulness and friendship. We hope and pray that this community will continue to grow in this faith, to serve the needs of many, and to encourage others to follow Jesus.