Vision Statement
Throughout the St Bartholomew’s community, we provide a caring and inclusive learning environment where all children and adults are happy, feel safe and know that they are valued; nurturing hope and aspirations to flourish and develop God-given potential.
Welcome
I would like to offer you a warm welcome to our website, which I hope will provide you with a
flavour of our fantastic school. St Bartholomew’s, known affectionately by many as St Bart’s, is a
thriving, inclusive Church of England Primary School and Nursery located in the semi-rural
village of Areley Kings on the south bank of the River Severn, Stourport-on-Severn.
Whilst maintaining the highest expectations of our pupils, we work together to ensure all children
are safe, happy and flourishing in their learning. As a Church school we have a distinctive
character where Christian values are promoted in all aspects of school life, underpinned by our
key values, chosen to help us to achieve our vision: Friendship, Respect, Compassion,
Perseverance, Courage and Pride. Our exciting, innovative Harmony curriculum embodies and
nurtures inquisitive, curious learners encapsulating all core and foundation subjects through a
carefully planned enquiry-based, multi-disciplined curriculum which promotes and develops a
love of learning and a connection to the world around us. This approach to learning is
deliberately focused on helping all pupils to live out our vision – nurturing hope and aspiration
and an appreciation and respect of each other and the world around us, in the knowledge that
everyone is valued equally and can achieve their God-given potential.
As a THRIVE school, we put the children’s social, spiritual and emotional development at the
heart of our work and, specifically through our Jigsaw and Collective Worship provision but also
as a golden thread in everything we do, we ensure that the personal, social and mental well-
being of every child is of paramount importance. Moreover, character-building and enrichment
opportunities plus enhanced support as a part of our wider curriculum are valued greatly, with
every member of staff wholeheartedly dedicated to supporting every child especially when they
need it the most (Parable of the Lost Sheep Matthew 18: 10-14 and Luke 15:1-7).
We are proud to be a co-founding member of Severn Academies Educational Trust (SAET) and,
collectively, we are fully committed to securing outstanding educational opportunities for ‘our’
children. We maintain close links and collaborate extensively with the Diocese, Kidderminster
and Stourport clergy plus our Church of England partner schools within Severn Academies
Educational Trust (Hartlebury, Wilden All Saints and Far Forest).
Mr I James
M.Ed N.P.Q.H
At St Bartholomew’s our staff provide a welcoming environment where all children develop self- discipline through our caring Christian ethos.
We are working to create in our school a feeling that we are all part of God’s special family where we show love and care for everyone around us.
Spiritual Development
Spiritual development differs from person to person and is a very personal experience. For this reason, it is difficult to put into words. Spirituality is not the same as having a religion or faith; a person can be spiritual without having a particular faith.
At St Bartholomew’s we define spirituality as something we feel in ourselves and not something we can see. It embraces awe and wonder and an enquiring mind, inspiring us to care for nature and all living things and being aware of both ourselves and others, and something bigger outside of
ourselves. Spiritual development enables all of us to grow in mind, body and spirit to live life in all its fullness, learning from ‘marvellous mistakes’ and enjoying and embracing special ‘light bulb’ moments.
The children at 'our' school have collective worship every day.
The theme of our worship is planned around 'our' six Christian values of Friendship, Respect, Compassions, Perseverance, Courage and Pride.
These values were chosen by the children and their parents and we aim to 'live these values' day by day.
We have very close links with our local Parish Church of St Bartholomew’s and members of the
congregation who are regular visitors to the school.
Members of our community regularly join us for worship or when we visit ‘our’ church for special
festivals such as Christmas and Easter. Individuals from the Parish of St Bartholomew’s support
the children in a variety of ways including reading buddies, RE lessons, religious festivals and
whole school celebrations.
All children at 'our' school attend our daily act of worship every day and all adults at least once a
week. Collective Worship celebrates the love of God for every individual and provides
opportunities for pupils and adults to reflect and respond, experiencing emotions such as sharing
happiness, sorrow, excitement, anticipation, through activities such as singing, listening,
laughing, praying and reflecting on a theme
Our six Christian values of Respect, Friendship, Compassion, Perseverance, Trust and
Forgiveness were carefully chosen by the school community to help us achieve our vision.
Links to Policies:
Spirituality and Spiritual Development Policy
Collective Worship Policy
RE Policy
School Prayer
Holy God,
Help us to persevere even if things become difficult.
Encourage us to trust each other and not judge people by their religion or skin colour.
Deliver us from bad choices, keep us safe and never lead us into danger
Inspire us to respect others especially our teachers and our parents.
Lead us to value friendship and forgiveness, rather than unkindness and bullying.
Be with us and guide us to show compassion instead of anger.
When people are sick please make them better and when they are sad help to make them happy.
Be with us in spirit and share your blessings with us all.
Amen
Written by 'our' children
To view all our Prayer, please click here.