Our Christian Vision and Values
Guided by the light of Christ in all we do, to enable all to flourish and live life in all its fullness.
We celebrate our diversity, finding strength in our differences, empowering and encouraging all to have a voice.
We shine as beacons of light and hope in our community.
We live out our Christian vision through our Christian values, where children are appropriately supported and challenged to succeed. These values help to promote the principles of life that Jesus taught.
Our school’s core Christian values are Love, Honesty, and Respect. We seek to foster our spiritual and moral development within a caring community and work in close partnership with our parents and carers.
Our school values are rooted in stories from the Bible such as:
A Story of Love The Lost Sheep | A Story of Honesty Zaccheaus | A Story of Respect Jesus and the Temple Traders |
Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105
Collective Worship
Holy Trinity C of E Primary School, along with all Church of England schools, is committed to offering high quality Collective Worship. We recognise and value Collective Worship as central to fostering a sense of community and to expressing our vision
Collective worship is an integral part of our daily life at Holy Trinity and plays a central role in the way we are continuously growing our community. All teaching staff plan the content of worship using guidance from the Diocese of Rochester; this ensures a wide section of the school community contributes to this vital part of the school day. From careful planning, and participating in the delivery, our school worship creates a sense of belonging for all and gives a welcome opportunity to develop inner stillness and thought.
| Assembly Type: | Key Stage: | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Collective Worship | Whole School |
| Tuesday | Worship | EYFS & KS1 |
| Wednesday | Class Worship | Whole School |
| Thursday | Worship | KS2 |
| Friday | Collective Worship/ Celebration Assembly* | Whole School |
* The whole school joins together, to celebrate children’s academic and pastoral achievements throughout the week both in school, and beyond, and celebrate children who have tried hard to show personal goals of Resilience, Aspiration, Morality, Cooperation / Collaboration, Adaptability and Respect.
We plan using the guidance from the Diocese of Rochester and you can link to the Diocese of Rochester website by clicking here
For full details of on our collective worship, please see the document below.
Leading Lights
All pupils in Years 5 and 6 have the opportunity to take a turn as a Leading Light. Leading Lights open worship, read bible verses, lead the school in prayer as well as light and extinguish the candle at the start and end of the worship.
To find out more about our Leading Lights group, please visit the Pupil Leadership page here
Religious Education
Religious Education is taught through the Understanding Christianity Scheme. RE enables pupils to appreciate their own and others’ beliefs and cultures, helping them to develop a clear understanding of the significance of religion both locally and globally.
See our Religious Education page for more information.
Spiritual Development
We place a high priority on spiritual development for our children at Holy Trinity CE Primary School, Gravesend. We do this to help them flourish ‘as a person’, as this enables them to be reflective about their own thoughts and beliefs, helps them to inform their perspective on life and empowers them to recognise they are already, and will always be, very valuable members of our school community, locally and in the context of the wider world.
We accept that defining spirituality can be difficult to put into words because it is a very personal experience. It differs from person to person, and often changes within people during their lifetime. We accept that a person can be spiritual without having a particular faith.
For all our pupils, but particularly our youngest members of our school, we define spirituality in terms as: something we cannot see; but something we feel deep inside ourselves. It is about our senses making us think about the ‘ows’ and ‘wows’ of life – the moments of awe and wonder; asking BIG questions; being inspired to do something terrific for ourselves or others and being aware of something ‘bigger’ outside of us all.”
In summary, our pupil’s spiritual development is fostered from our school’s Christian Foundation and vision. Because of this, pupils can:
- Express personal beliefs and compare views with others, sharing feelings and opinions through discussions and stories, and collective worship.
- Develop their own system of beliefs which may or may not include religious beliefs.
- Experience a love of learning through rewarding their enthusiasm and by encouraging exploratory play and learning.
- Reflect upon the world around them and show a sense of awe and wonder towards aspects of the natural world or human achievement – which we celebrate every Friday during Celebration Worship.
- Reflect on the situations of others through role play, stories, the use of Restorative Justice, participation in special events such as fundraising opportunities, Holocaust Memorial Day, the Poppy Appeal to name just two.
- Experience a range of stories, music, art, drama, and dance in school and beyond.
Our Churches
Our faith community is supported by three local churches: St George’s, Christ Church and St Peter and St Paul’s.
The Parish Priests of St George’s – Reverend Jim Fletcher, or Father Mark Edwards lead Eucharist in school three times per year however the children also have the opportunity to visit our local Churches at significant times in the Liturgical Calendar including Christmas, Easter, and the end of the academic year.
Our School Prayer
This is our school,
Let peace be here,
Let the room be filled with happiness.
Let love be here:
Love of one another,
Love of everyone,
Love of life itself,
And love of God.
Let us remember that as many hands make a house,
So many hearts make a school
Amen
Our Lunch Time Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for the sun and day,
Thank you for our work and play,
Bless this food we have so much,
Give hope to those who don’t have such,
Bless our friends and teachers too,
Thank you, Lord, for all you do
Amen
Our End of the Day Prayer
Dear Lord,
Keep us safe this night,
Secure from all our fears,
May angels guard us whilst we sleep,
‘Til morning light appears.
Amen