Church of England

Letter from our Vicar

For parishes where there are Church schools it can be said that the parish has two physical spiritual centres – the church and the Church school. As a Church of England school The Dassett Primary School takes its distinctive Christian ethos very seriously indeed and this ethos is at the root of its work in educating and nurturing our children and preparing them for the future.

Together the church and the school seek to have a positive influence on the local area, and we have shared values of welcoming and respecting every member of our community as a child of God. The church and the School have a very close working relationship and that is something that the church is very keen to ensure continues well into the future. We feel it’s important to offer a fun, relaxed, and engaging experience of Church and Faith to the children of The Dassett.

As Vicar for the Dassett Magna Group of churches, I am involved in the life of the school in a variety of ways. I offer chaplaincy support to staff, children and families during difficult times, and in my capacity as vicar I am a Governor. The church also provides another Foundation Governor, who is our Safeguarding governor.

Collective Worship

In Church of England schools, collective worship helps to build a strength in the school community and to develops learners ’understanding of Anglican traditions and practice.

In Church schools the school community gathers daily for an act of Christian collective worship. This may be as a full school or in smaller class groups. I have a passion for children’s ministry and delight I leading Collective Worship every week throughout the term, as well as leading school services in church for festivals or special celebrations. When possible this includes a children’s communion service at school twice a year which the children enjoy.

In addition to my close links with the school, we also have our Children’s ministry team made up of members of our local congregations at Fenny Compton, Burton Dassett, Farnborough and Gaydon. In the past they have alternated with me doing fortnightly Thursday morning “Open the Book” assemblies at the school and co-ordinate our Family service and Messy Church. It is a privilege to work alongside staff members and our church ministry team to create varied opportunities for the children to be able to develop their own values and beliefs. Through this I’ve not only developed a good relationship with the children but also parents and families.

The church in Fenny Compton, St Peter and St. Clare, is situated a very short walk from the school and is convenient for a variety of school events. The church is currently used by the school for whole school services at Harvest, Christmas, Easter and the end of the school year which parents and guardians are encouraged to attend and which are always a joy. We also welcome educational visits from classes when the church can be a resource for learning. We are glad to support our school, but it is very much a two-way relationship, and we are always looking for ways in which the school can support their local church.

I have thoroughly enjoyed getting involved with the children by joining in RE lessons and also joining the children in other classes and getting involved in whatever they are doing and learning. Church links with the school continue to flourish and it’s a delight to be known by and know the children and for them to approach me confidently both in school and outside when we meet in the wider community.

Praying together

The school has strong Christian values that underpin our school ethos to teach the children about the virtues we wish them to develop. The teaching and reflection times focus on developing our individual capacity to love, respect and empathise with one another.

Through collective worship, prayer and reflection we think carefully about and celebrate the lives we have and the good fortune that we experience every day. We reflect on the wonder of our world around us, the wider environment and other living creatures. We spend time thinking about the impact we have on this world and how we can be good citizens and take responsibility for our own actions.

Differences due to COVID restrictions

During the COVID Lockdown, with schools being closed and social distancing I have been doing assemblies on zoom. Initially during the 2020 summer term, from April to July, I planned, co-ordinated and presented with two others from the Children’s Ministry team 4 assemblies a week. These were done live every Monday to Thursday and recorded. 79 children out of 119 signed up to either link in live or watch the recorded assemblies. When the

children returned to school in the autumn term neither I nor Open the Book were allowed to go into school. I there-fore commenced doing weekly assemblies via zoom which are continuing to date.

CHURCH INFORMATION AND CHURCH SERVICES

For full service details go to https://www.dassettmagnagroup.com/services

ZOOM services EVERY WEEK (this is a regular rota that will continue post COVID) - picture provided

9.30am Monday to Friday MORNING PRAYER

6pm Monday to Friday EVENING PRAYER

11am Every week SUNDAY SERVICE

6pm 1st and 3rd Sunday SUNDAY SONGS OF PRAISE

To access the ZOOM services go to

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8506867729?pwd=dWxvWUV2elVReVFRK0YxajI4dVY4Zz09

Meeting ID: 850 686 7729 Passcode: 711190

Sunday Services in church - picture provided

9.30am St. Giles GAYDON Every Sunday