ST MICHAEL'S CHURCH

“As Vicar of St Michaels church I highly value the partnership that we have between school and church. There is a mutual sharing of expertise and knowledge. Each community holds the other in prayer and supports our mutual mission and vision.

In particular we are aware of the  shared responsibility of discipling these young children and highly value the input of the school in this process.” (Revd Steve Melluish)

At St. Michael’s CE School we have close links with our foundation Church: St. Michael’s Church in Southfields.

We firmly believe in partnership and warmly welcome members of the Clergy and Leaders into school and onto the Board of Governors as PPC Governors.

The Christian faith is central to life at St. Michael’s and Reverend Stephen Melluish and his Team Leaders are welcomed into the school and regularly lead whole school Church services, weekly class worship and whole school worship throughout the term, as well as leading lessons in the Church itself to support the RE curriculum offer.  Steve and his team are seen as good friends to staff and pupils, providing pastoral support and guidance in times of need.

The children and staff attend St. Michael’s Church for important celebrations such as Harvest Festival, the Nine Lessons and Carol service, the end of term services and Easter service as well as clergy led worship and lessons.

We are especially proud that children of all faiths happily attend these services and lessons  and no child is withdrawn from participation. This is a credit to the Mission and Vision of our school and one everyone embraces when they attend our school.

The School Choirs and school musicians are regularly invited to sing  / perform at coffee mornings for the elderly hosted by St Michael’s Church and the Ackroydon Centre, which is a lovely opportunity for Church and school to work together for the good of all.

In the past the school and Church both worked together on the Love in a Box Appeal, ensuring there were hundreds of boxes to be sent to those in need in Eastern Europe in the Autumn term. We are now jointly developing our global partnership, supporting a school in Kenya.

Partnership with the Church

The school has built up a partnership with the St. Michael’s Church with fundraising.  We have previously supported the Foodbank, Mustard Seed Mission and more recently worked together with the global partnership with the Red Maasai Academy.

Furthermore Toolbox, the Church’s primary-aged Sunday School, was, before lockdown, held at the school. This fun and exciting event for the children of St Michael’s Church, is run each Sunday morning during term time (excluding the first Sunday of the month) in our School Hall and different parts of the school. Please refer to the links below.

• A Film About Toolbox Sunday School At St. Michael’s School

Here’s are some pupil voice quotes about Toolbox:

“I love having Toolbox at school because we have our own space to worship.”

“Being able to have Toolbox at school means we can have more fun and be more noisy.”

“I like the fact that because we are at school, it feels like it is our church, and not for grown ups!”

“It’s so great to have a time and space to meet with all your friends and think about God. It means we can spend time with God without loads of distractions.”

“I love Toolbox at the school because Robbie makes it fun with games and songs, but also does loads of bits about God.”

“It’s great to have so much space because when we split into our different groups we can have space to do different activities.”

We asked members of the Church Team what it meant to them being involved with our school, here are their quotes:

“For me, it is important to be a part of St. Michael’s School as I love strengthening the partnership between the church and the school. I believe it is vital that the children are being taught how to lead Jesus filled lives, so it is so encouraging to be part of a school that share the vision for these children’s futures.”

(Lord’s Club Lead)

“St Michael’s school is a place of fun, but under the surface of everyday school life runs the united desire for these children to know Jesus. For me, being a part of this school which is focused on Jesus is important to me, seeing education and faith working hand in hand to shape these children’s lives.” 

(Lord’s Club Lead)

Holy Communion (Eucharist)

Holy Communion, also known as the Eucharist, holds a significant place in the Anglican church. Holy Communion is celebrated by the whole people of God, gathered together for worship. It is the tradition of sharing bread and wine, in a way that reminds us of the person of Jesus Christ and our trust and faith in Him.

As a school we act in partnership with St. Michael’s Church and follow their policy on how children are included in this element of worship. Once children are in year 4, those who attend regular worship are encouraged to participate in a 6 week course exploring the meaning and intent of communion. Not all who participate in this course automatically take communion. There is always a further one to one pastoral conversation with the child concerned, and then their parents to ensure that a mature understanding of faith, personal relationship with Jesus and the purpose of communion are understood.

At St. Michael’s School, we fully support St Michaels Church’s approach. As a result of this, within school we celebrate Communion in two ways. Firstly, by teaching about Communion in lessons over Easter. Secondly, by holding worship assemblies about Communion. In these worship assemblies, Communion is explained to the children and we celebrate Jesus, but the physical act of taking the bread and wine is not taken. As a school, we feel it is important to respect the wider  church’s variable approaches on how children are admitted to communion, and the individual preferences of parents.

If you would like to know more about Communion, please do contact Rev Steve Melluish at St. Michael’s Church who will be able to help you, or speak to your own Church Leadership Team. In addition to this, if you would like more information about how we speak about Communion in school, please do email info@stmichaels.wandsworth.sch.uk.

Global Links Overseas

As a school we are keen to develop our global links in partnership with the Church and so we are working with members of St. Michael’s Church to fundraise and support the installation of regular internet provision for the Maasai Academy School in Kenya.  By developing these global links in a contrasting country and part of the world members of our school and Church community  will be able to build up a ‘global partnership’ where the sharing of the Gospel values can be explored and shared  and we can build up a school to school link.  Below is an outline of the proposed project.

• Our Global Partnership with St. Michael’s Church with the Maasai Academy School in Kenya

For more information on the Church please click on the link below:

• http://www.stmichaelssouthfields.org

St. Michael’s CE School Safeguarding Declaration and Safeguarding Quality Assurance

At St. Michael’s we take notice of and adhere to all the national and local policies and guidance in regard to Safeguarding Children and Young People.

The Board of Governors and staff of St. Michael’s CE School fully recognise the responsibilities and duty placed upon them to have arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of all pupils at the school. We recognise that all staff, including volunteers, have a full and active part to play in protecting pupils from harm. We believe that our school should provide a safe, caring, positive, and stimulating environment in which pupils can learn and which promotes the social, physical and emotional wellbeing of each individual pupil.

This declaration also extends to external lettings and personnel who come into school on a regular basis.  We have sought a quality reassurance from the St. Michael’s Church Office. The letters are held centrally at school.