Darley Churchtown CofE Primary School is closely associated with St Helen’s Church, which is only a short walk away. The land on which the school is built was donated to the Church by a local landowner in 1827 and we have the original document displayed in the school entrance area.

Nowadays we work closely with representatives from the Church on a number of key areas.

Services

We hold collective worship in Church around once a month, usually on the 3^rd Thursday, and invite parents to join us for these events. These services are led by our minister, Reverend Stephen Monk, and are based around themes linked to the liturgical calendar.

In the Autumn we celebrate harvest by bringing donations for local food banks to Church and, as we near the end of term, we think about Advent and the Christmas Story. During the Spring term we look forward to Easter and think about the events of Holy Week. In the Summer term we consider key events in the Christian year such as Pentecost and also end our school year with our customary leavers’ service at the end of term.

In addition to the services that are held during school time, St Helen’s also runs a series of community services throughout the year on a Sunday. Children from Darley Churchtown often attend these and choose songs or read prayers and Bible readings.

Vision and values

Our vision to “Aim high and believe, grow and succeed” is rooted in the distinctively Christian nature of our school and was agreed with representatives from the local Church and Diocesan Board of Education as well as staff, children and the wider community. The vision is underpinned by Matthew 19:26, “With God, all things are possible”, and we seek to reinforce this through our links with the Church.

Each half term, we focus on a different value linked to the vision and these are highlighted during our Church services. Children create artworks, prayers and their reflections on each value and these are then displayed in Church so that members of the congregation can see and read about the ideas that are being discussed in school.

The Church continues to have an active role in the development of the school through representation on our governing body.

For more information on the school vision see our Vision and values page

Facilities

Another huge benefit of our close link with St Helen’s is a practical one – access to facilities. The Church kindly allows us to use the field opposite the school for lunch breaks, PE lessons and special events such as sports day and the summer fair. When the weather isn’t so kind, we can also use the Church hall for PE lessons and we regular visit the Church to learn more about religion, history and sometimes even the natural environment around the building, which includes a fantastic, ancient yew tree.