Christ Church C of E Primary

Welcome from Mtr Ariadne

Welcome to Christ Church Primary

This school was founded by the church next door and is named after this church.

Originally, the school was founded to provide an education for those who couldn’t pay for one. This was before the state funded schools.

Now our aim is to provide an education for all in our community, whether because of where they live or because they worship at the church.

We are proud that so many years later, the school is still going strong and that it is still offering children a chance, not just to grow their academic abilities, but to grow as people and to grow in faith.

The links between the school and the church are many and they are strong.

The school receives advice and support not just from the Local Authority, but also from the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education (SDBE). The Governing Body of the school has foundation governors who are ex-officio (the Vicar) or appointed by either the parish or the SDBE. The Faith Group is made up parents; school staff and people from the church. And the physical link between the church and the school has been restored: it is now possible, once again, to walk directly from the school site to the church site. Reception Class use this link to get to the school in the mornings.

As Vicar, I am very much involved with the school. I lead Collective Worship on a weekly basis. I work together with the Worship Team to plan and lead whole school services and I organise church visits for Year groups.

I am also available to help teaching staff with RE lessons.

In addition to this, I am an ex-officio governor of the school and I am currently vice-Chair of governors.

Over the years that I have been here, it has been an absolute pleasure to see the Christian character of the school grow, develop and flourish. No one visiting the school can be in any doubt that this is a Christian school.

At this school, there is an emphasis on community and care and on what we can do for each other. We are not perfect and there is always room for improvement, but I believe that this is a school where children can feel safe, where they are nurtured and cared for. It is a school that tries to be inclusive and to celebrate differences.

It can be nerve wracking trying to find the ‘right’ school for your child. And there are so many possible aspects to look at when you make this decision. Research shows that, when it comes to doing well in school, the most important thing is that a child feels safe and happy. This school prides itself on its academic record, but we also realise how important it is that children feel happy at school.

Our church is right next door to the school. Please, don’t be shy. Feel free to come to any of our services or church events, if you don’t already do this. We’d love to welcome you. We have services for babies and toddlers on Wednesday mornings (term-time only) at 9.10am, followed by a stay and play group (till 11am). On Sundays we have a Eucharist at 10am every Sunday and an All Age Service at 11.30am on the 1st and 4th Sunday of each month.

God bless,

Mtr Ariadne