Great Horwood Church of England School and St James Church

Reverend Stephen O Connor

St. James Church is proud of its relationship with Great Horwood C of E School. Both the church and the school are integral to the community. Both seek to enrich the lives of all members of the community,  especially its children. The church has an important part to play in the life of the school. Working with the staff and governors the church, through leadership of assemblies and collective worship the church seeks to ensure that each child grows spiritually. Our hope is that every child should know that they are special and, that in their daily lives, they should exhibit the school's distinctive Christian values. You can find out more about St. James Church by looking at their website.  It includes the times for the upcoming services in both Great Horwood and Winslow. 
 

St James church in the Benefice of Winslow, Great Horwood and Addington enjoys an excellent relationship with Great Horwood Church of England School. We work closely together and are constantly looking for ways that we can further develop that relationship. We believe that there is a vast difference between a good school and a good church school.

We love to celebrate our diversity as well as focussing on our shared Christian values of trust, respect (for each other and ourselves) and the importance of social justice.

Together we explore:

• the gospel of Christ within the daily life of the school.
•  an atmosphere of encouragement, acceptance and respect.
•  a sensitivity to individual needs where children's self-esteem and confidence grow and where they feel able to make mistakes without fear of criticism.
•  the importance of having fun.
•  partnership between adults and children, talking to them as though they are not just the future, but also the present.
•  sensitivity towards a variety of beliefs and opinions.
•  looking for ways to provide stepping-stones to and from the wider community.

This is done by a variety of means, including Question and answer sessions between members of the clergy and the children, (they ask really tough questions), exploring our natural world and what it tells us of who we are, being creative, questioning and imaginative in the way that we approach situations. We use all the space that we can, inside and outside, at school and at church, to allow the children to feel comfortable in their relationships regardless of where they are.

This is all done whilst recognising the importance of our experience and personal values in a way that leaves us all open to developing a sense of awe, curiosity and mystery that is within us all.

Great Horwood School is such an asset to the wider community and I am very excited about the potential that can be achieved by everyone who is associated with it.