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We are blessed by our parish Churches' support of our schools. We have collated just some of the ways that they do this.

Please do look through the ideas here and consider what may help or work for you.

If you have other suggestions of good practice that are not mentioned, please do add them using the + button in the yellow circle on the bottom RHS of this page

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Lots of churches welcome school visits for all sorts of reasons:

Special services: eg. harvest, Christingle, Mothering Sunday, patronage days, leavers services

The Church building can be used to teach part of the RE curriculum, baptism, Holy communion, the pattern of a service etc

The church can be used to host events...special experience days or an awards evening.

Make an interactive trail around the church to invite local schools to.

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Have a board in church with information about the school on it.

Include notices or information about the school in a new letter or magazine.

Ask the Headteacher to visit a PCC meeting, or write a short report on the school

Celebrate 'Education' Sunday, and invite the headteacher to attend and/or be interviewed or speak.

Have an annual planning meeting with the Headteacher to plan what each partner would like to happen during the year.

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Share worship songs and music that are used in school and vice versa.

Help schools identify single liturgical responses i.e. 'God is good all the time, All the time , God is Good.'

Invite children to be involved in services.

Work with children so they can plan and lead worship

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Find out the prayer needs of the school and commit to praying for them. ...monthly /termly

Pray for those children and families who are ill

Prayer walk around the school grounds.

Gather a team who can deliver 'Prayer spaces in schools'

https://prayerspacesinschools.com/prayer-spaces/what-are-prayer-spaces/

The diocese can offer you advice on this.

Pray for foundation governors and school staff

pray for the work of the Governing Board

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At the Journey to the Stable event at St Alphege church at the beginning of December attended by Year2 classes from local schools, each child was given a holographic star which had a sticker on the back with details of the Christmas Eve crib services and the children were invited to bring their stars along to the service....and many did

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Church members can help as volunteers.... 

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Church members can help as volunteers.... 

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Schools are always glad of volunteers. Great volunteers really make a difference. It may be for one off events i.e.

attending a school trip

providing hospitality for staff and parents at parents evening

serving refreshments at school events

helping out at sports day

or as a regular volunteer..

hearing children read

providing support for a homework club

offering a lunchtime club or after school club for children

provide mentors for pupils

Being a school Governor

Talk to your headteacher about what you can offer and what the school needs

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Our Governing Boards all have an ex officio governor role which is usually taken up by the incumbent; during interregnum this role can be taken up ( through discussions with the Diocese) with another church member.

Having governor's with Christian faith is really important to supporting our schools' foundation. They also keep the link with the church strong.

Training is available for all governors.

Do get in touch with Fr Barrie Scott from the Diocesan team if you wish to explore being a governor or if you want some help with anything to do with governance.

Barries@cofe birmingham.com

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Churches often show care to schools in very practical ways..... cakes at a time of inspection, a card with encouragement, a moments conversation, a prayer

One incumbent tries to have ' a cup of tea' with every new member of staff'

Another visits the school every week, walks around and says hello to every member of staff

Some churches are able to provide financial assistance for school events, or uniform or school trips.

Some Churches have a food bank which support needy families

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We created 'give away bag's for our school families with contents to make their own Christingle. The bag also included an invitation for the family to bring the completed Christingle to a Christingle service, we had lots of families attend.

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One of our Church knitting groups, knitted a Christmas Angel' for every child in their CofE primary school (420!),they were given out with a card on which was the message' A gift of love from St Mary's Church Selly Oak'. We also gave these out to the children who attended the activity morning, with an invite to the crib service.

Decide on your own, one off project...

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Consider holding a welcome service for a new Headteacher, either as a separate service or as part of a service.

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There are lots of different ways in which Churches can be involved with CW. These are some helpful resources

https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/get-involved/open-the-book/

https://jumpingfishpublications.co.uk/

Books can be very helpful, but can be expensive. Check with the school as to what they have already, and whether they might buy something for you...

https://www.imaginor.co.uk/roots-fruits/ is expensive but Good!!

Jill Stolberg from the Diocesan team can provide support and advice if you wish

jills@cofebirmingham.com

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Open the Book | Sharing Bible stories in primary schools

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Help us bring Bible stories to life for every child in every primary school. Find out more about Open the Book, and how you can get involved.

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Often the link person between the church and school is the incumbent, however during an interregnum, it will need to be someone else, that could be a church warden or a member of the PCC.

You may decide to have link people linking with different classes or year groups in the school