About Christian Distinctiveness
TAKE A LOOK AT
Our Trust Prayer
Dear God,
We pray that we live in a world which is united with peace and harmony. Help us to live life to the fullest so that we can flourish each and everyday. Teach us to be stronger together and bless everyone in the St. Bart’s Multi-Academy Trust community.
Amen.
Our Christian Vision
We have a passion for releasing the potential of all our children and staff by encouraging ambition, aspiration, and excellence in every aspect of our work. Our commitment is to place children at the centre of everything we do, working collaboratively to provide the highest-quality educational experiences and outcomes within an inclusive environment. Through the enjoyment of learning, we live life together in all its fullness, guided by our Trust values of PEACE.
We believe this vision empowers children with the skills they need to make a positive impact on the future of the communities they serve. For our Trust schools, life in all its fullness is a life lived for God and in service to others, aligning with the Church of England’s mission that education is deeply Christian, with Jesus’ promise of “life in all its fullness” at its heart.
Our vision is for the common good of the whole community. Across our flourishing family of church schools, each academy expresses its own theologically rooted Christian vision while fully embracing the shared purpose and values of the Trust.
Lessons in our schools involve pupils gaining a clear understanding of the main principals of Christianity and a variety of other world religions, namely Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism.
Pupils will acquire this understanding both through classroom learning and first hand experiences.
They will have the opportunity to observe and handle key religious artefacts and visit religious buildings in order to enhance their learning. Teaching should equip pupils with the confidence to express their religious views freely as part of classroom discussions and to generate further, deeper questions linked to faith and philosophical enquiry.
A curiosity within pupils and an acceptance of differing beliefs should be fostered at all times. As children progress in their understanding, they will compare and contrast different religions and some of their central belief systems. Close links to English skills including reading, writing and speaking and listening will be cultivated throughout.
Teaching will be completed sensitively at all times, with an awareness of the different beliefs and attitudes that may be in operation within the classroom.
At SBMAT we invest heavily in ensuring that leadership at all levels is supported by high quality training, professional dialogue and opportunities for collaboration, observation, modelling, and support.
We have our half termly Church of England Education Leadership Network group led by Sara Goddard our Principal at Kingsland C of E Academy and a current SIAMS Inspector.
Sara Goddard visits all our Church Schools to work alongside them to ensure they can live out their theologically rooted Christian vision and are flourishing and living life in all its fullness. Our peer support network visits work hand in hand with our trust leaders to ensure we are offering the very best support and developing best practice to share more widely with other colleagues, schools, and communities.
We enjoy the support of the Dioceses of Lichfield through Matthew Welton, Alex Wolvers, and Lynsay Jennings.
A Christian Distinctiveness Committee has been created which will hold leaders to account and report to the Trust Board on the effectiveness of the theologically rooted Christian vision of SBMAT and church schools.
READ ABOUT OUR
Strategic Intent
SBMAT is committed to providing the best church education and support that our pupils need. We do this by centrally providing a range of opportunities for our schools to engage with. Each opportunity is underpinned by our vision and helps to ensure that all pupils and adults in the SBMAT family are flourishing.
A NEW FRAMEWORK
All stakeholders to be fully aware of the SIAMS framework and the actions that SBMAT implements that it is supporting its church schools to ensure pupils and adults are flourishing in their academies.
HOW DO WE CHECK IT’S WORKING?
A Christian Distinctiveness Committee has been created and they will hold leaders to account and report to the Trust Board on the effectiveness of the theologically rooted Christian vision of SBMAT and church schools.
Action Plan
Digital Worship Programme
Our Church SchoolsSING ALONG WITH OUR
Trust Worship Song
Pupils from nine of our Church of England schools had a fantastic time participating in special workshops with local musician Paul Critchley from Presence Worship to write and record a Trust worship song. Together with Paul, the children reflected on our big idea: “Living life in all its fullness” (John 10:10) — which means living a life filled with joy, kindness, and love! During the workshops, they played fun games and joined in activities with children from other Trust schools, helping them explore themes such as kindness, forgiveness, hope, and love.
ONLINE PRESENCE
The websites of individual academies, along with the SBMAT website, provide key information to support families with their children’s education and wellbeing.
SHARING IS CARING
Each academy has the opportunity to record and share a digital worship across the Trust. Together, our academies also collaborate to produce Christmas and Easter worships. These shared experiences support children and their families in their spiritual development.
DATES FOR DIARIES
Our parish clergy are invited to a Prayer Breakfast in September, where we will pray for all our schools and parishes, collaborate, and share expertise to support one another. A prayer diary encourages each school to pray actively for others, ensuring every SBMAT academy is held in prayer throughout the year.
PEER CHAPLAINCY
Our schools have the opportunity to train Peer Chaplains. Pupils come together for a full day of workshops and they have received a Chaplaincy Kit for their school to support them in their roles. Each term, we will meet to share successes and replenish the kits, helping pupils continue their work as chaplains as they share love and light in their individual schools.
WORSHIP LEADERS
Each academy has the opportunity to attend Worship Leaders training events. Pupils will explore what makes worship truly inspirational, then apply their learning to lead worship for their peers back in school. They will develop the skills needed to ensure worship is inclusive, enjoyable, and invites everyone to take part.
PRAYER BOOKS
We will work together to create a prayer book written for children, by children. It will include prayers for all aspects of daily life in our schools, supporting children to pray, reflect, and pray for others. The completed collection will be shared as a book for all schools to use.