St George’s CE Primary School and St George’s Church in the parish of Kidderminster East are the first to receive a gold Church and School Partnership Award. It was presented to them by Bishop Martin at a special assembly at the school.
The Church and School Partnership Awards celebrate the relationship between school and the local church and the impact that this has on the flourishing of the whole community. They aim to encourage school and church to look at all the things they currently to do support one another as one community. There are three different levels of accreditation – bronze, silver and gold.
The presentation assembly was led by children on the worship committee at St George’s CE Primary School, with a dramatized bible reading chosen to reflect the partnership and a community acrostic poem.
Some of the things the school and church do together to serve the local community were highlighted. Children attend coffee mornings in church on Friday mornings where they chat to local people and pupils in year 6 have also been part of the art group held in church. The school have created community Christmas cards to distribute to people locally who might not receive many, and the school and the church support each other’s Christmas fayres. Year 3 students have been involved in litter picking in the churchyard and members of the church come into school for Open the Book as well as half-termly worship led by the vicar, David Hildred. A group of children were also part of the interview panel when a new Team Vicar was appointed.
David has taught handbell ringing in the school and has arranged for local children to perform in a local care home, where pupils from different year groups also go in to read with the residents. During the presentation assembly, children spoke about the fact that they enjoyed reading and singing with the residents, socialising with them and seeing them smile!
Presenting the award, Bishop Martin said: “I am full of thankfulness for this wonderful partnership that you’ve built. This is the first partnership to get a gold award and the many good things you are doing are inspirational. Do continue what you’ve started and keep showing us all how to love!”
Headteacher Mrs Snape said: “I am extremely proud of everyone who has been involved in this partnership. It has really given the children a wider holistic experience and it has been great to see their personal development as a result. We are looking forward to continuing the journey and we have already got some exciting future plans in place! The partnership is a key part of us living out our school vision to nurture, learn and succeed.”
A group with members from both the church and school meets each half term to look at ways in which they can work together. The children themselves suggest ideas and are also involved in planning worship as well as the different activities. Charity work is done together, including putting together food parcels and Christmas shoe boxes, and supporting local people in Kidderminster.
The Revd David Hildred and the church volunteers involved in the partnership said: “It is brilliant to be able to share our gifts and support one another, and it’s a joy to see the next generation taking things forward. The school and the church have been given different resources, and we can use them wisely to work together and build community. When we do things together, we unleash God’s power!”
