Ingatestone and Fryerning Church of England Junior School
Christian Distinctiveness
Our Christian Vision which is embedded in our school,
“To develop ambassadors for the community with live in and the world around us”.
‘Love your neighbour as yourself.” Luke 10:27
Our Christian Values are the threads that weave our vision through the school; in collective worship, in lessons and in the playground. Our pupils have an understanding of spiritual awareness, a sense of their own worth and an appreciation of the world around them. Our Christian Values feed into every area of school life and are used by all members of staff.
Our School Values are:
- Respect
- Enjoyment
- Aspiration
- Cooperation
- Honesty
We take ownership of a value each half-term, and we focus on it as a whole school. This approach means that the children are immersed in every Christian value through worship, assemblies, homework and lessons.
We focus on one Christian value each half-term. The themes rotate on a four-yearly cycle.
Our local church is St Mary and St Edmund. We visit regularly as a whole school. Canon Lee leads our worship as well as Bible-Led Worship by the children and visitors, including Alison Carmichael from the Brentwood Schools Christian Workers Trust.
We link with Chelmsford Diocese and regularly invite our advisor into school to help with school improvement. Staff are given opportunities to take part in Diocesan training which develops their understanding of our Christian Distinctiveness.
New RE Statement of Entitlement from September 2026
Collective Worship
Each day the pupils are involved in an act of collective worship. This ranges from recognising the awe and wonder of our world, social messages such as friendship, to key religious celebrations and learning. We also welcome visiting speakers to offer expertise and enrich the quality of our Collective Worship.
https://www.cdbe.org.uk/support-for-schools/education-support/collective-worship
Religious Education
To be able to understand their own beliefs and values, children need to learn about and respond to the beliefs and values of others. In religious education (RE), children learn about the main religions in this country, particularly Christianity. The subject aims to help pupils respect the beliefs and practices of others as well as discovering more about their own. Every school must teach religious education, but there is no national programme of study. Our teaching is based upon the Essex Agreed Syllabus. This local programme is shaped by national guidelines. These say that teaching should:
Board of Education. Diocese of Chelmsford
Parents not wishing their child to attend Religious Education and/or Religious Worship can exercise their rights under the Education Act and Statement of Entitlement for Religious Education (2019) by making an application to the Executive Headteacher.
Church Links
The school enjoys strong links with the parish churches of Ingatestone and Fryerning and Can. Lee is a regular visitor to the school and leads an assembly every week. The schools R.E. syllabus is in accordance with that recommended by the Religious Education Executive of the Chelmsford Diocesan Education Committee.