1. Our Vision Enables Everyone to Flourish By:

• Encouraging children to become responsible leaders - Buddies, prefects, Ethos group, School council, Eco group, leading worship.
• Arranging a wide and varied curriculum supported by visits and trips.
• Fostering good relationships between staff and children.
• Nurturing staff and children and giving them the confidence to progress.
• Striving for good academic results.

Our diocesan advisor’s feedback from monitoring in 2022: “There is a clear link with the school’s core Christian values and the overall Christian ethos that pervades the entire life of the school.”

This year's parents' questionnaire results show: 93.7% of parents thought that our vision of "Be determined and confident as God will be with you as you learn, care and share through work, play and prayer" represents us as a school.

2. Our Curriculum Reflects Our Theologically Rooted Christian Vision By:

• Our vision inspires children to be determined and confident in all areas of the curriculum - learning is questful in all subjects.
• Our curriculum is bespoke, created by us for our children's needs.
• Our subject leaders are knowledgeable, and leaders monitor the curriculum effectively.
• We have a question-based curriculum and learning objectives.
• We offer a wide range of clubs, suitable for everyone.
• Children are inspired by their learning.
• Children make excellent progress.
• Governors actively monitor the curriculum.

Quote from 2023 parent questionnaire: “It is not just what you teach but how. Your ethos is found in Christian principles.”

Pupil quote from questionnaire: The vision "makes me feel God is in my heart and helps me feel determined.”

3. Collective Worship Enables Pupils and Adults to Flourish Spiritually By:

• Worship is daily, varied, inspiring, prayerful, fun, thought-provoking, and involves everyone.
• Worship follows the core concepts of Understanding Christianity and is updated termly by the vicar, worship lead, and SLT.
• Areas for reflection in each classroom and outside.
• Our governors are regularly present in worship.
• Spirituality is developed through big, open-ended questions – inspiring awe and wonder. Every unit starts with a hook inspiring wonder. Opportunities are planned for the children to have awareness of our big world, how to take care of it, and what we have, including empathy for others, is explored along with responsibility and courageous advocacy.
• Our spiritual life is intrinsically linked to our association with our church. The children take part in or lead worship throughout the year (Education Sunday, Back to School Sunday, class visits, Christmas and Easter). Our parish priest leads weekly worship and class discussions and a termly Eucharist service for all staff and children.
• Approximately one half of Year 6 children attend classes and are confirmed.
• Feedback from the children, parental questionnaires, and surveys enables us to evaluate and make changes.
• We maintain good links with local schools, sharing good practices.

Parents' questionnaire results show that 93.6% of parents who responded feel that worship at St. George’s enriches their child's spiritual development.

Half of the Year 6 cohort were confirmed this year.

4. Our School’s Theologically Rooted Christian Vision Creates a Culture in Which Pupils and Adults Are Treated Well:

• Our school is a place where everyone should be able to flourish in a loving and hospitable community.
• The well-being of all in our school is supported by our pastoral system.
• The "Thrive" programme has been rolled out to the whole school and staff.
• Lessons are scaffolded to ensure everyone can achieve their potential.
• Systems are in place for pupils to support each other (Buddy system, Prefects, Class monitors, Ethos, Eco, School Council).
• Staff are well-trained and up-to-date on relevant courses (e.g., Supervision and ELSA).
• The school environment is accessible to all.
• Staff and pupil questionnaires.
• INSET days allocated to well-being.
• CPOMS and our external links with providers ensure all are supported.
• All children, regardless of the factors which make them vulnerable, are fully included in all areas of the curriculum.

A 2023 questionnaire response: "It's not just what you teach but how. Your ethos is found in Christian principles."

5. Our School’s Theologically Rooted Christian Vision Creates an Active Culture of Justice and Responsibility By:

• The children are encouraged to think wider than themselves and their community.
• As individuals and as a class, the children are set challenges that make them think about what gifts they have been given by God that they can use to do good deeds and make a difference. Classes take responsibility for community tasks during Lent and Advent.
• We maintain our grounds and gardens, grow fresh produce, etc. - each class has different areas of responsibility.
• We have close links with local care homes, day centres, and neighbours.
• Our children are inspired to help others locally in ways that are appropriate to them: giving time, raising money, promoting good causes and environmental issues (Smile-stones left in the woods, local foodbank, UNICEF advent calendar, Christian Aid pigs, Bishop's appeal, etc.).
• Our children are inspired to help others further afield (Amina and her community through CompassionUK, Picture News, Year 6 worship – creation, but with a strong eco theme, etc.).
• Our children know they can make a difference and organise their own events and fundraising (e.g., Evelyn (Bees), Olivia (Running), Reception (plastic straws)).

Our diocesan advisor’s feedback from monitoring: “Children of all ages are challenged to consider ‘big questions’ and reflect upon their own ideas and beliefs in an open and honest atmosphere. They express their views with maturity and in a manner that demonstrates their deep knowledge and understanding of the various units.”

Quote from 2023 parent questionnaire: “Pupils are encouraged to think freely and ask questions.”

6. How Is Our Religious Education Curriculum Effective?

• We follow the Blackburn Diocese Scheme of work; therefore, we meet the Church of England’s statement of Entitlement.
• This curriculum, like our school vision, is built on questions, enabling children to talk in the language of faith and to look at the BIG questions.
• We provide a wide range of opportunities for all learners to understand and make links between the beliefs, practices, and value systems of the six main faiths. 20% of our curriculum is learning about and comparing other faiths.
• The library is well-stocked and has books on other faiths and cultures.
• RE is a core subject in our curriculum and is led by an experienced subject leader who keeps up to date with training courses and diocese clusters.
• Staff have high expectations of the children’s attainment and progress.
• The RE lead ensures that children cover all curriculum areas as they progress through school.
• We constantly refresh and update our RE resources and supplement the curriculum with additional providers for annual Spirituality Days and Multi-Faith Week.
• We explicitly teach the core theological concepts.
• When British values are taught, we always root them in the Bible and our Christian values.
• RE is evaluated throughout the year by book looks, workarounds, and lesson observations both internally and by the diocese as external validation.
• Feedback from questionnaires helps us to monitor and make changes as necessary.

Our diocesan advisor’s feedback from monitoring: “RE has a high priority in the school’s curriculum and makes a significant contribution to the Christian vision and to pupils’ spiritual, social, moral, and cultural development.”

Quote from parents' questionnaire 2023: “Great understanding of other religions.”

7. What Is the Quality of Religious Education?

• Teaching of RE is outstanding.
• Staff are passionate about giving children confidence to express their faiths and beliefs and to answer the BIG questions.
• The diocesan advisor, leadership team, and RE lead carry out walk-through observations of RE teaching in school.
• Children make excellent progress in RE.
• Progress is monitored on a half-termly basis. Due to the cyclic nature of the core concepts, progress is made throughout school as the children build on previous knowledge and understanding.
• RE is assessed following the guidance from the Blackburn Diocese at the end of every unit against the “pupil expectations.”
• Pupils are given the opportunity to assess their own learning in child-friendly language.
• This assessment forms part of our pupil progress meetings where interventions are discussed for the next year.
• Within the lessons, children are regularly assessed, they are given scaffolded tasks which allow every child to access the learning and progress appropriately.
• By asking questions and challenging their thinking, we continually allow children time to reflect on what they believe.
• Bible Group and philosophy group support the children's learning.

Our diocesan advisor’s feedback from monitoring: “RE teaching is of a very high standard and a highly appropriate balance of the study of Christianity and other world faiths is very successfully achieved. Consequently, pupils have an excellent understanding of other faiths, beliefs, practices, and value systems.”