Our Christian and School Values and Ethos:

At Vernham Dean Gillum’s through our Christian ethos and the teachings of Jesus we are about developing “Compassionate, Courageous and Creative citizens for the future”. Our School’s Christian character permeates all aspects of school life and to support our spiritual journey we have chosen the three distinctive Christian Values of:

The 3 Cs:

Compassion, Courage and Creativity

• Compassion was chosen to reflect the love and empathy we have for each other as Jesus has in all of us.
• Courage was chosen to reflect the courage of Jesus on the cross and how we need to embrace difficulties in our lives and work.
• Creativity was chosen to reflect each of us being an individual and doing things our way just as Jesus did when helping others.

Our aim is to ensure that all members of the school community feel valued and that respect and trust underpin all we do.  To support this aim, reflective areas can be found across the school, which promote and enhance spiritual ideas, thoughts and questions.

Learning Principles

We are committed to creating a loving, compassionate, Christian atmosphere in which everyone can SOAR - to have Success for all, Ownership of learning, Aspiration to achieve excellence and to be Resilient, risk takers so they can be the best they can be.

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Our Learning Values

Our learning values underpin all that we do.  At Vernham Dean Gillum’s we want every child to SOAR

Success for all

Ownership of our learning

Achievement and excellence for all

Resilient, risk takers

Our Learning Behaviours

Our Learning behaviours also want every child to SOAR and link to our Christian values;

Stretch- Did I challenge myself in my learning today? (Courage)

Out of the box- Was I creative, did I do it my way? (Creative)

Apply- Did I use new skills/skills I already knew and apply them to my learning? Did I work collaboratively?(Compassion/Courage/Creativity)

Resilience- Did I persevere with my learning/Was I courageous? (Courage)

Our school is a part of the Pastrow Benefice group of churches sharing the, love, grace and truth of Jesus Christ alongside our school's own Christian values.

For our long term overview for Collective Worship and Christian Values, please see the 2 year cycle below:

Monday 21st June 2021

Justice could mean giving wrong doers the punishment they deserve ie. the punishment fitting the crime- just desserts, an eye for an eye etc. However, it could also mean giving all people- particularly the poor and oppressed - what is right and fair for them to have ie. life, health, freedom, and dignity- this is social justice. 

We have used many different bible stories to emphasize this, our main one being Jonah and the Whale which you can read below with your children in our take home sheets or watch the Youtube video.

Jonah and the Whale

Jonah and the Whale: Jonah learned that men, and women, and little children, are all precious in the sight of the Lord, even though they know not God.

Monday 14th June 2021

"What if I were to say that Willow and Maple class can have extra playtime because they are younger  but Oak can't because they are older" Would this be fair? Why not? We would probably say this is unjust.

The story below of the Big Red Umbrella explains how everybody should be treated equal and fairly, regardless of age, gender, race, disability. Just as Jesus treated everyone fairly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8g0363DaEU

Justice

This half term's worship theme is all about Justice.

This half term’s worship theme is Justice. This week in our Monday Worship we discussed what we thought the word Justice meant and then looked at how we are all different which makes us special and unique, but that unfortunately some people are treated differently because of these differences and this is where things become unjust.

Jesus treated and encouraged everyone else to treat others equally as seen in many stories in the Bible. We will be exploring these stories in the coming weeks.

We started this week, looking at racial injustice;

Monday 24th May 2021

Continuing our Worship theme of Trust- How do we ensure we stay true to ourselves to keep ourselves safe online.

Monday 17th May 2021

This week we were learning about two very well known Bible stories, David and Goliath and Noah's Ark. Trust is a strong theme in both and our key questions are;

Who had to trust who in the stories?

Why did they have to trust?

What would happen if they didn't trust?

What happened because they trusted?

https://youtu.be/fsF30SxTtf4

Monday 10th May 2021

We are continuing our Worship theme of Trust. In today's worship we are looking at the story of Moses parting of the red sea. Our key questions were; Who did Moses have to trust? and who did the Israelites have to trust?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=041KkXNIqOc

For our class worship we are looking at Psalm 28:7- Trust in God he is our strength and shield. We are designing our own shields with pictures that symbolize Trust.

Easter Worship-Thursday 1st April 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAsABIVMsjs&list=RDCMUCLecK8GovYoaYzIgyOElKZg

Monday 15th March 2021

As we continue to explore our school Christian Value of Compassion, in today's worship we gain the understanding of how God is always there to guide us and never leaves us alone to face things.

Monday 8th March 2021

Welcome back everyone!- As we welcome everyone back to school there will be lots of different feelings. It is important we talk about these feelings and show compassion to how other may be feeling.

We watched this story about The Worrysaurus by Rachel Bright;

https://youtu.be/WklyyxNKAL0

Monday 22nd February 2021

Our new worship theme this half term is Compassion. Compassion is the understanding we have of others. How we treat them and how we wish to be treated.  Through the stories Jesus told we learn that he always had compassion for others and saw the good and strengths in people when others didn't.  He gave everyone a fair chance without prejudice and encourage everyone to be like him.

The worship link is below.

https://youtu.be/D2LNLJp-Ke4

Monday 18th January

Continuing our Worship theme on Creativity. Here is today's worship all about "thinking outside the box"

Monday 11th January 2021

Last week I did one of our 3 Cs Christian values- Courage as we were all having to make important and brave decisions both in and out of school. This week we are looking at another of our Christian values- Creativity. We are all having to be creative at the moment and "think outside of the box" especially with home learning not being what we are used to and school is also different to with slightly different "bubbles" , grown-ups and ways of doing things.

Christians believe that God loves and values all people and that they are precious to Him.  Despite challenging experiences God cares for them in all aspects of their lives.  It is important to give praise and say thank you - especially before meals to thank God for His provision, and ask for help to care for those who are hungry.  

Christians believe that all life is a gift from God - the ultimate designer and creator.  Human creativity is expressed through exploring and enjoying the world.  Creation is to be responsibly sustained, and shared by all.  

Some Bible verses to consider:  

Always be giving thanks to God, for all things.  (Ephesians 5: 20)

God saw all that He had made, and it was VERY good.  (Genesis 1:31)

Sayings from different faith traditions:

It is God who has made for you the earth .... and the sky as a canopy, .... so glory to God, the Lord of the worlds!  (40.61,64 - Muslim tradition)

The blessings of the God of heaven and earth - without these, how could we exist?  (Hindu writer Satapatha Brahmana)

The link for this week's Benefice worship from Rev Tom is;

https://youtu.be/1yhzqx2Uaag 

Wish for the world

This week in school we would be having our Wish for the world Worship. Beech class were given the task to think about what their wish for the world would be and this is one of the pupil's ideas...…..

Monday 4th January 2021

Welcome back to the new spring term and New Year 2021! As we begin this new year it is fitting that our Worship theme this half term is all about Courage, which is also one of our 3Cs Christian Values. We are all making decisions at the moment that takes courage to keep ourselves safe and whilst we make this important decisions, we know that God is with us every step of the way.

Monday 14th December 2020

Today we learned in Worship that along with having our own families and belonging to our school family we are also part of a wider Christian family around the world.

Monday 30th November 2020

In today's Worship we are beginning to think about Advent and why it is such an important time for Christians. Advent mean preparing for the coming of Christ. Beech class will be making out Advent wreath to display in the hall. Photographs to follow!

Monday 16th November 2020

This week we are thinking about how we may be in the position whereby we have to be the bigger person and the "Peacemaker".

Monday 9th November

"We will remember them"- As a school we have made/coloured poppies and put them up around school to remember those who lost their lives whilst fighting for our Country. During Worship this morning we reflected on why peace is so hard to find at times and how although we may have differing opinions that the key is talking and negotiation to ensure we have peace. Sometimes bad has to happen in order for us to reflect on the good things we have.

We thought about the Bible Verse by Mica;

For class Worship we are thinking about how we can create an area of peace in our school, as suggested by Florence and Esmee in Year 5.

Monday 2nd November 2020

This half term our worship theme is Peace. In today's worship we talked about our inner peace, what this means and how we can find it. The children said that inner peace is about being calm and that they may read a book, go to their bedroom and have a lie down or find a quiet place to sit to find their inner peace. We talked about how our inner peace is especially important now that we are due to go into another lockdown.

Our key questions for this half term are;

Where do you go to get some peace and quiet?

How do you go about making peace with someone?

What does the word peace make you think of?

What situations today need to find peace?

What can you do to make our school a more peaceful place?

Matthew Chapter 5 verse 9 says; "God blesses those who make peace. They will be called his children."

Click on the following link to reflect at home on this half terms worship theme of hope;

https://www.hopeprimary.com/home-school-values/

Monday 19th October

Today we are thinking about Black History month and how influential black people gave hope to others for equality and an improved world. One of these influential people was the first black President Barrack Obama. He addressed the American people with the quote "Hope is what bought us here today". As part of our class worships we are looking at music that gives us a sense of hope but also other quotes of hope from people like Desmund Tutu, Martin Luther-King and Christopher Reeve.

Monday 12th October 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pRgPlSfjv8&feature=youtu.be

Monday 5th October

This week is our Eco week in school. It is important that we consider God's creation of the world and the responsibilities we have to look after it. We linked our Worship to our theme of hope by looking at the story of the Varmints and how the story shows that the natural world is threatened but a hopeful new start can begin:

https://youtu.be/P-EBoIcKX84

28th September 2020

Hope for Harvest

Our Worship theme this week has been based on Article 24 of the UNCRC that all children have the right to Nutritious food and clean water. We are celebrating our Harvest festival this week and asking that each child brings in something to donate to Andover Food Bank. We discussed how there are people locally who are struggling to afford to feed themselves due to COVID-19 meaning they may have lost their job or are working reduced hours. The lady at Enham Stores will collect our donations and take them to Andover Food Bank to help our local community. Our hope is that everyone receives their right to healthy food.

Monday 21st September

Today is International Peace Day, which is celebrated across the world. It links with our Worship theme this half term of hope. People around the world hope that for one day there may be peace and harmony in the world. Hope is often represented by the dove of peace as when the dove returned to the Arc and Noah it was holding an olive branch which gave hope to Noah and his family that dry land was out there and not all land had been destroyed by the flood.

Each child will create their own dove of peace, dove of "hope" and these will be displayed around the school. Andover Trees United linked to Jane Goodalls "Roots and Shoots" usually attend a ceremony in London today and the school would send representatives. Unfortunately, due to COVID this has been cancelled but in Harmony Woods they are inviting people to place their peace dive on the peace arch. One child's dove from each class will be placed on the arch to represent our hope for peace around the world.

Monday 14th September 2020

During today's Worship we looked at this quote from the Prophet Isaiah;

We discussed how this links strongly to our school ethos and learning principles;

S=Successful for all

                       O=Ownership of our own learning

                    A=Achievement and aspirations

          R=Resilient, risk taking     

In class Worship the children will be considering what they think the quote means and displaying this in their class Worship area.

Our Worship theme this half term Autumn 1 2020 is HOPE. This is very apt in the current climate with COVID-19.

Hope is linked to our ability to have faith and we get this faith from God. Hope is more than something we wish for like presents for our birthdays or treats, it runs much deeper.

We have decided as a school, that as the year 2020 has been so different due to COVID-19 and we have adapted our lives and had hope for so many things, that we would create our own school time capsule. Each class will create their hope for the future and represent it however they like. We will then put these hopes in the time capsule and bury them for future generations to find.

https://youtu.be/gTYPHw22eeo

Our Christian Ethos

Our School’s Christian character permeates all aspects of school life.  To support our spiritual journey we have chosen the 3 Cs- Compassion, Courage and Creativity as our school’s distinctive Christian Values.
Compassion was chosen to reflect the love God has for us and how we should care for one another
Courage was chosen to reflect the courage of Jesus on the cross and how we need to embrace difficulties in our lives and work Creativity was chosen to reflect the fact that Jesus did things his way and didn’t follow others and that if we do this we can succeed.

Our aim is to ensure that all members of the school community feel valued and that respect and trust underpin all we do.  To support this aim, reflective areas can be found across the school, which promote and enhance spiritual ideas, thoughts and questions.

Acts of Worship

Our Collective Worship is held within the school hall, classroom, outside or whilst on a school trip or residential.
Monday: Whole School Worship led by the Headteacher.  This is where we introduce the weekly focus, which is linked to our half termly value
Tuesday: Class Worship or House Worship is led by staff on a theme set in Monday Worship.
Wednesday: Whole School Worship led by staff.
Thursday: Whole School Worship is led by David Sullivan and Rev Trev the Parish Vicar on alternate Thursdays.
Friday: Whole School Celebration worship led by Head teacher.  Parents are invited for those who are presented with an Achiever or Behaviour and Values Certificate; they are invited to join in with our prayers and school song

The School may vary this organisation each year or term. Our key aim is to plan Collective Worship systematically so that there is continuity, variety and clear focus on Christian beliefs and festivals. Worship is led by a variety of people that include school staff, pupils, Governors, representatives from the parish church, and members of the local community.

SIAMS

The inspection process for Diocesan Church Schools is now called ‘Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools’. The inspections follow a timetable independent of Ofsted.  The principal objective of the inspection is to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of the school as a church school.  There are four core questions that make up the inspection.

1. How well does the school, through its distinctive Christian character, meet the needs of all learners?
2. What is the impact of collective worship on the school community?
3. How effective is the religious education?
4. How effective are the leadership and management of the school as a church school?

Our Prayers

Across the school week we share prayers at various times.  These will be a combination of prayers that children have written, our school prayer, Candle prayer, The Lord’s Prayer, prayers from visitors and prayer before lunch.

Our Candle Prayer
Our Candle Prayer is said when children light a candle at the beginning of our Collective Worship time.

Heavenly Father
We light this candle to
remind us that you are
the light of the world
We come together now to
pray and to praise and
to remove all darkness
from our hearts and minds
Amen

Our School Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus
Help us to love and care for each other as You first loved us
Help is to  have hope in our lives through You
Help us to embrace each new day and the challenges yet to come
In Your name
Amen

Grace our Prayer Bunny

Grace became part of our School in January 2019. She comes into each Worship and helps us during our Prayers and then visits a class each week to support during Class Worship. Grace is going on a special journey from the 16th to the 26th February 2019 to visit a school in Rwanda with Sue and Jeff from the Diocese. We are sending her with special prayers for the school in Rwanda and   we can’t wait for her to return with Sue and tell us all about her adventures!

We have been considering Spirituality in Worship. Spirituality is personal to each person but is strongly linked to the following items;

A mirror- Ours sense of self/inner self and self reflection

A window- The beauty around us

A door- Relationships and who we let into our lives

A candle- The hope that we have

This half term's worship has been about Forgiveness. We are leading up to Easter and when Jesus forgave so many for the wrong that was done to him. We have been thinking about The Lord's Prayer- "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" and how although in some situations it is hard to forgive that we must try and be like Jesus and forgive making us a better person.

KS2 have been thinking about whether there are any situations where we can't forgive or those situations that are easier to forgive than others and EYs/KS1 have looked at the clip of the Angry Bee who found it so difficult to forgive he wasted so much energy being angry and dwelling on what had happened, that he missed out on having fun with his friends.  

We now begin the looking forward to the arrival of the birth of Jesus  by lighting our Advent wreath. A candle for hope, faith peace and joy and the middle one to be lit on Christmas day to symbolize Jesus the light of the world.

We were extremely proud to send our candle photograph to the Diocese for the 75 Flames project so that they can put it on their peace pole and represent all the schools belonging to the Diocese.

Thankfulness

This half term’s worship theme is all about Thankfulness. We are learning about being thankful for even the smallest things as well as those big things and to thank God for what he has given us. We have a Thankfulness tree in our entrance and the children have been reflecting on what they are thankful for and writing them on leaves to hang on the tree.

1 Chronicles 16:34. 34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

This week in Worship we have been thinking about our responsibility to others. Each House has decided to support either Andover Foodbank Shoebox Appeal or The Rotary Club Shoebox Appeal. They have decided who their shoebox will be for and the items they will put in it. The children gained an understanding of the small things that we can do impact on others locally or globally. We looked especially at the UNCRC Article 38 and Matthew 25:35 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed.”

7th October 2019- In Worship today we looked at the UNCRC and the Ten Commandments. We learned that we all have rights and the Government, teachers, our parents and carers have the responsibility to ensure we receive our rights. We also learned that in order to receive our rights we have Responsibilities to uphold. Jesus told Moses about the Ten Commandments and we still live by these today especially not hurting others and stealing. We may feel that there are lots of rules we have to follow and we may have to do harder work to follow these rules but these are support our freedom and to ensure we look after the world that God created for us. Such as putting litter in the bin rather than dropping it on the floor. We will be looking further at the UNCRC in future Worships.

Bishop David’s Visit- On Wednesday 2nd the Bishop of Basingstoke came to visit our school with Rev Trev. We asked him lots of questions about his role in the Diocese. He asked us if he could visit again and we said absolutely!

Harvest 2019

Our Harvest festival is on October 3rd.  We will be collecting dried goods for the Andover Food Bank. Linked with our worship theme of responsibility we have decided that sometimes it is our responsibility to support others who may be in need and so our Harvest festival will certainly be reflecting this.

September 2019

Our Worship theme this half term is Responsibility. This is very apt considering this is when we decide on new responsibilities within our classes and in the wider school with the applications for House Captains and School Councillors.  The theme is highlighting that we have lots of responsibilities some small and some big, some fun and some not so fun!

The main message is that it is our responsibility to keep ourselves safe by making the right choices and that led to a discussion and us devising our breaktime responsibilities charter. You will see them in our worship areas and around the school.

Worship Working Party

We have a group of children who have volunteered to be in the Worship Working Party. Their Role will be to plan and deliver Worship linked to our Worship theme. After February half term we will be re-looking at our Christian Values and developing our three Cs- Compassion, Courage and Creativity.

The Worship Working Party will focus on Compassion first and what this value represents to Christians and all of us at Vernham Dean.

The Holy Trinity

We have been thinking about the Holy Trinity. In our class worship baskets and in whole school worship we light three candles to help us to understand what the Holy Trinity represents;

Green= For the Father

Blue= For the Son

Red= For the Holy Spirit.

Spring half term was  about developing our new Christian Values. We started with Courage and now have our courage lion who is awarded to a child each week who has demonstrated courage in school.

NSPCC Assembly

We raised £661.26 for the NSPCC by House sponsored events. Well done to Red House for raising the most and thank you to everyone who supported the children.

We each made a poppy and laid them to create a large poppy to remember all those soldiers who have died or been injured to keep us safe and protected.  Then we held a 2 minute silence before we shared a prayer.

Understanding Christianity

This term we have begun to introduce a new scheme to teach the Christian elements within our RE.  They have created some images to represent key Christian concepts which help shape thinking.  It was fascinating how the children in both Oak and Maple were able to find meaning from the pictures and relate them to their own understanding of God and Jesus.

There is also a large frieze which accompanies this resource, a bit like a ‘Where’s Wally’ picture – which will be on display soon.