Christian Life at SMSJ

SIAMS success, February 2017:

Following our Statutory Anglican Inspection (SIAMS) in February 2017 we have been graded as outstanding in all areas.

This is a huge achievement and the result of great teamwork and leadership across our school.  Thank you to all the pupils, staff, clergy, parents and Governors who contributed to the inspection and ensured that the inspector saw the SMSJ Christian life in all its fullness.

The 2-day inspection, carried out by the Church of England focused on all aspects of life at SMSJ across both sites, from Nursery through to Year 9 and is a very rigorous process.

The report highlights effective leadership of the school at all levels; strong impact on the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all pupils, irrespective of their faith or non-faith background and our positive partnership with our churches which strengthen and enrich our whole school community.

The inspector recognised that results and progress were good and often very good, particularly in the secondary phase and commented that very good behaviour and respectful relationships are clear expressions of the school’s Christian vision for pupils’ positive personal and academic development.

Thank you again to everyone who contributed to the inspection so that our vision that ‘Everything is possible’ for our whole school community was able to shine.  

Collective Worship:

At SMSJ meeting together as a community is an integral part of our common life together. Collective worship is a time of reflection and is guided by the theme of the week. Each theme is based on our termly value:

Autumn Term - Wisdom

Spring Term - Service

Summer Term - Hope

Collective worship is led by both members of staff and PAM (pastoral and academic mentor) groups. We also have a worship committee who lead and evaluate our worship.  Daily collective worship (Pause for Thought) takes place in PAM groups and provides an opportunity for prayer, reflection and discussion.

School Eucharist:

We gather together around the Lord ’s Table to nourish us and further strengthen our common Christian life. Each year group attends a Eucharist service once every half term during which students serve, read and pray. We also mark important Christian festivals by gathering together at church.

Spirituality:

At SMSJ we have a definite understanding of our spirituality being deeply rooted in the Christian tradition. Our basis for everything we do comes from our faith in Jesus Christ who offers himself for the life of the world.  We are confident in the message of Jesus who teaches that all things are possible in and through our belief in God.

We do recognise, however, that spirituality is a broad concept with room for other perspectives. We seek to learn from one another. In hearing about others’ experiences of faith we come to a better understanding of our own.

Our form of Christian spirituality is such that it deepens a sense of connection to something greater than ourselves. In our worship of God we seek to give an experience of the transcendent.  Looking beyond ourselves so that we can have a relationship with God and in so doing learn how we are connected through him to one another.  We use the teachings of the Bible, the example of Jesus and the teachings of the Church to help students of all faiths and none consider and ask of themselves deep questions about the meaning of life.