At St Oswald's C of E Primary School we aim to enable our children to develop their understanding of themselves and the World, in the context of Christian belief and practice.

Our Christian values are very important to us. These values are our motivation for valuing every child and adult, inspiring us to strive our hardest for the best outcomes for each individual. They also underpin our practice, guiding how we deal with day to day life in a primary school.

We have identified 5 core Christian Values that are particularly special to us. They are:

• Service - being ready to do our bit for the good of others.
• Friendship - being there for people, even when it feels hard to put them first.
• Forgiveness - forgiving when others have done wrong to us and saying sorry when we are in the wrong.
• Endurance - sticking at it, even through the tough times, confident we will come through.
• Hope - aspiring for the best and knowing, with the support of God and each other, we can attain it.

Schools have a duty to ensure that children understand the values that are held as the foundation of our way of life in Britain. These include democracy, individual freedom, the rule of law and respect and tolerance for others.

Whilst we believe the values that underpin St Oswald's School go further and deeper than these 'British Values', they are still encompassed within the education we provide. For example, Forgiveness accepts that there is right and wrong, concepts which are underpinned by our school rules. This introduces the idea of the rule of law. However, in each class, they develop their own rules for how the class runs. This establishes the understanding that we all have a voice, through the democratic process, in making our laws and that they should be for the good of all of us. Some other examples of how these values are covered are the democratic process we have for electing and using our School Council, the range of religious thought covered in our RE lessons, the importance we place on genuine discussion and dialogue in the learning process and the restorative approach we use in behaviour management.

Collective Worship

There are other aspects of school life that are different because we are a Church of England School. Every day we have Collective Worship. This is when we gather together as a school to reflect on aspects of faith and the impact it has on our lives as individuals and a school. As you would expect, our Collective worship is Christian in content. On Fridays we have a special Collective Worship called our Celebration Assembly, in which we give out certificates and awards for all the achievements in school.

Religious Education

As a Church of England School, Religious Education has a special place in our curriculum. Every class has one RE lesson each week. These lessons not only cover the teaching and stories of Christianity, but also investigate other World religions. These lessons always start with a "Big Question", encouraging children to share their own thoughts and ideas, no matter what those are, and to listen to the views of others. They are always times of lively, open discussion and debate. As part of this RE curriculum, as the children progress through school, we visit different places of worship, including those of different Christian denominations and those of other religions, including a mosque, a synagogue and a Sikh temple.