Serving the Common Good

Captain Shaw's is proud to be a Church of England primary school. Our Christian foundation shapes why we are here, how we treat one another and the kind of education we want every child to experience.

Our school vision is:

For us, being a Church of England school is not simply about what happens in RE lessons or collective worship. It is expressed through the life of our whole school: the curriculum we teach, the relationships we build, the decisions we make and the way we serve our community.

A school where everyone belongs

Our Christian foundation calls us to recognise the worth and dignity of every person.

That is why inclusion is not an addition to our school – it is central to who we are.

Children arrive at school with different strengths, needs, experiences and starting points. We want every child to belong, participate, learn and flourish. We therefore begin with those who may need us most, while seeking what is best for everyone.

Our school welcomes children and families of all faiths and none. Children do not need to be Christian to belong here. We want them to encounter Christianity meaningfully while developing respect for people whose beliefs and worldviews may be different from their own.

Our values – things we learn to live

Our six school values are expressed deliberately as actions:

We want children to do more than remember these words.

Through learning, relationships, worship and experiences beyond the classroom, children explore what these values mean, consider why they matter and learn how their choices can affect other people.

This helps children gradually develop the knowledge, character and confidence to contribute positively to their school, their community and the wider world.

Religious Education – asking big questions

Religious Education is an important academic subject at Captain Shaw's.

Our refreshed RE curriculum gives children opportunities to encounter Christianity and other religions and worldviews while asking increasingly thoughtful questions about belief, meaning, truth, morality and what it means to live well.

Children learn about religion, but they are also encouraged to think carefully about what people believe, why they believe it, how beliefs influence people's lives and how different people may answer life's big questions.

Our approach draws upon theology, philosophy and the human and social sciences, helping children learn to listen carefully, disagree respectfully, justify their ideas and remain curious about the beliefs and experiences of others.

This is particularly important in our context. Many of our children may not come from religious backgrounds. We therefore do not assume belief or prior religious knowledge. Instead, we create a classroom in which children can explore Christianity, other religions and non-religious worldviews with openness, intellectual rigour and respect.

RE is not about telling children what to believe. It is about giving them the knowledge and opportunities to think deeply about belief.

Collective Worship – reflecting together

Collective worship provides a regular rhythm within school life.

Our worship is Christian in character, inclusive, invitational and inspiring. This reflects the Church of England's approach to collective worship: opening Christian traditions to people from different faith backgrounds without assuming that everyone begins from the same position.

Through stories, Bible passages, prayer, music, silence, reflection and discussion, children encounter ideas which invite them to think about themselves, other people and the world around them.

Children are active participants. They ask questions, share ideas, reflect and regularly help to lead worship themselves.

Our Monday Headteacher worship introduces and explores important ideas, while our pupil-led worship gives children opportunities to continue the enquiry and consider:

What might this mean for us? What could we do differently because of what we have considered?

Children and adults are always invited to participate respectfully; personal faith is never assumed.

From belief to action

Our Christian character should be visible in what we do, not simply in what we say.

Our curriculum deliberately creates opportunities for children to use their learning to contribute to something beyond themselves.

Whether children are improving their local environment, working alongside community organisations, responding to issues that matter to them, supporting others or considering how their decisions affect people elsewhere in the world, they learn that they can make a difference.

This is where our Curriculum in the Community and our Christian vision meet.

We want children to leave Captain Shaw's understanding that education brings both opportunity and responsibility: what we learn can be used for the good of others.

A Church school for our whole community

Our relationship with the Church forms part of a much bigger partnership between school, families and the community we serve.

Being a Church of England school gives Captain Shaw's a distinctive Christian foundation while remaining outward-looking and welcoming.

It means striving for excellent education while asking a bigger question:

How can what we do help every person to flourish and serve the common good?

That question reaches from the smallest interaction between two children to the choices we make about our curriculum and our place within the wider community.