The verse from Matthew 5:14 – “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” was chosen because, although our school building is hidden, we want the kind acts, love and wonderful learning of our school family to shine brightly. The ultimate worth of each person in our school is at the centre of all we do. We value the ‘light’ of every individual and we seek to nurture that light and encourage each of us to be the light to others.
As a church school, Collective Worship is a very important part of our everyday life. We have a three year rolling programme exploring a different value for each term. On Monday and Tuesday we meet together as a whole school to explore the value, then on a Thursday we meet in our own classes for a time of reflection and prayer. We love to sing as a whole school on Wednesday mornings, and on Fridays we enjoy celebrating all the children who have ‘been the light’ that week in Well Done Worship.
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
| Thankfulness | Respect | Generosity |
| Compassion | Friendship/Unity | Wisdom |
| Perseverance | Courage | Justice |
| Humility | Forgiveness | Hope |
| Creativity | Responsibility | Peace |
| Trust | Service | Truthfulness |
At Willow Park we strive to build on the strong links made with the church and community prior to the amalgamation of St George and St Michael’s. Our school community has built up a special relationship with St Stephen’s Church in the centre. We love to visit the church during the year and participate in a Harvest or Easter Festival. In addition, we have formed a lovely link with their sister church, Holy Trinity in Hotwells. The congregation have led Christmas and Easter trails for our children to experience and some of our pupils have served the elderly at the Trinity Lunch Club.
An important part of our vision is based on a desire to spread joy by serving local people and nature through song and action. As well as serving the elderly at the Trinity Lunch club, we will continue to take part in a Christmas Nativity and sing Carols at our local Children’s Hospital. For many years, as a choir, we have led the Christmas songs at the ‘turning on of Christmas Steps Lights’ and have delighted shoppers at Cabot Circus with our carol singing.
We place a lot of value on visiting different Local Places of Worship so that children gain a better understanding of different religions in a real and tangible way. All classes are given the opportunity to visit a different place of worship during the same term. We visit the Jewish Synagogue, Sikh Gurdwara, Hindu temple, Mosque, the John Wesley New Rooms, Cathedral and of course our very own St Stephen’s.
