James, the half-brother of Jesus, was a founding member of early church. He wrote to the Christians in Jerusalem, and the fledgling churches in the surrounding areas with a simple message, our faith should change our actions. His letter explores this relationship between faith and actions in detail and we find our school’s Bible verse as part his letter.  

“I will show you my faith by my deeds” James 2:18

James did not have modern technology to allow his message to be spread far and wide, so his letter would have been passed from church to church and read out by the leaders of the time. Whilst this letter is two thousand years old, it has now been passed to us and its message is just as important to all of us at St James’ school. If we truly believe in our core values of love, hope and truth, they should guide all our actions.

This forms the basis of everything we do at our school. We want our children to grow in love, hope and truth. However, we don't just want them to be ideas, we want them to be lived out in our actions. If our children believe deeply what love, hope and truth means for them and our wider communities, we should see it acted out in their actions; faith demonstrated by deeds.

Collective Worship provides opportunities to explore our Christian Vision. We value the daily opportunity to join together as children and staff to share together in prayer, praise and reflection.  These times are led by staff, children and visitors from local churches and attended by children and adults. For us, worship is not something that is added to the timetable, it is the 'heartbeat of the school'. 

We work closely with Reverend Suzie, who works across many Wimborne Church of English village churchs and Reverend Nick (Nick the Vic!) at Holtwood Methodist Church. . We continue to learn from the ‘Open the Book’ team of parishioners who tell Bible Stories through drama, which the children greatly enjoy. We are always looking to increase our involvement with our local church community by involving them in our worship and joining in theirs. 

We want our children to learn and experience what it means to worship. We acknowledge that each one of us, whether child or adult, is travelling our own spiritual journey. We offer the opportunity to find a point of peace and quiet in the day where we can explore ideas, and learn from the examples of Christian teachings and aspects of other faiths and cultures how we can best live our lives. We use a variety of stories, images, music, poetry, songs and drama to convey meanings and messages.

We know that all individuals are equally important and valued in God’s sight. Our worship is inclusive and delivered so everyone present feels included, whilst respecting the integrity of the different families and backgrounds we serve. The themes we cover supplement RE teaching and include our Values, the Scriptures and the Church Year.

We are proud to be a school with a distinctive church ethos. We seek to work with our Church to serve our community, to cherish and nurture everyone in our School and Church families, and to forge links.

Our RE Leader is Mr Daniel Lawford and he also plans Collective Worship with the valued input from our Worship Team. We enjoy strong links with Salisbury Diocese who have regular input into the schools Christian Distinctiveness. 

We recognise that RE can contribute to a child’s personal development, foster a sense of awe and wonder, provoke challenging questions about God and encourage concern and sensitivity towards others. We also aim to develop respect and understanding towards those from other faiths and cultures.

It is statutory for RE to be taught in schools and reported to parents. However, parents do have the right to withdraw their child from RE teaching and Worship if they are able to provide an alternative that provides the same learning objectives, and this could be discussed in detail with the school.

The syllabus has breadth and balance ensuring that Christianity is studied at each key stage and that children have the opportunity to learn about another principle world religion. We also include material from other worldviews as appropriate to the curriculum or context.

RE at St James reflects the distinctive quality of our Church aided status. Our aim is that the children develop their understanding of Christian beliefs and traditions, as well as put them into practice on a daily basis.

Schools are subject to a SIAMS inspection which explores the question, “How effective is the school’s distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels, in enabling pupils and adults to flourish?”

This overarching inspection question is examined through seven strands:
1.    Vision and Leadership
2.    Wisdom, Knowledge, and Skills
3.    Character Development: Hope, Aspiration, and Courageous Advocacy
4.    Community and Living Well Together
5.    Dignity and Respect
6.    Impact of Collective Worship
7.    Effectiveness of Religious Education.

The purpose of SIAMS Inspection is the improvement of Church school education through a focus on the centrality of Christian vision, shining a spotlight on the fundamental right of all pupils and adults to flourish. SIAMS inspectors ask questions about and seek evidence that demonstrates the impact that the school’s vision has directly on the lives, learning, and development of all within the school community.