Religious Life of the School

The Christian ethos of the school is deeply embedded and impacts significantly upon pupils’ lives and their
achievements.
Collective worship is at the heart of the school and this continually serves to strengthen its Christian
character.
Pupils develop a strong sense of spirituality through opportunities for both reflection and prayer as they
progress through the school.
The school’s Christian care and support for each individual ensures pupils are keen to learn and behave very
well. It also impacts positively on the strong quality of the relationships evident at every level across the
school community.
Religious education (RE) and collective worship make valuable and sustained contributions to the Christian
ethos of the school and to the good spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of pupils.
Worship is a cherished and inspiring part of school life and has a significant impact upon pupils’ spiritual and moral
growth and how they develop as individuals.

These statements have been taken from our last ‘Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools’ (SIAMS) report from 2018 which can be found here: SIAMS Report 2018

Our daily life incorporates the following Christian values:

• Friendship
• Forgiveness
• Wisdom
• Peace
• Hope
• Compassion
• Trust
• Thankfulness

St Aidan’s is a Church of England Aided School. This means it is owned by the Church but has financial ‘aid’ from the state. As a Church of England School there is a special relationship between church and school. At St Aidan’s there is mutual support between the diocese of Newcastle and Durham, the Parish of Bensham, with its parish Church, St Chad’s, Bensham, St Aidan’s Church in the Teams and the school. The clergy from the area play an active part in school life on a daily basis e.g. conducting services, governing body, running school clubs etc.

A Church School has a distinctive ethos because we aim to emphasise Christian values. We want the school always to reflect God’s love for each individual through its atmosphere of welcome, care, reassurance and service. We hope by doing so to show the relevance of Christianity to the children’s lives.