Distinctiveness of a church school

What is a Church School?

Why Choose St Aidan’s Church in Wales School?

All parents want an excellent education for their children, but they also want them to be happy and to feel safe and secure. At St Aidan’s Church in Wales, we believe we can offer all these things. We pride ourselves on the broad, balanced and full education we provide, and the high standard of teaching and learning.We enjoy working closely together with families and the wider community in order to develop a positive and meaningful partnership. We aim to build on these special relationships by developing a special bond and promoting the values of trust and respect. We believe that this will enable each of us to be fully aware of the contribution we can make to the development of the whole school.As a Church School it is essential to provide each of our children with the opportunity to develop spiritually, intellectually, physically and socially. This will help us continue to develop a caring ethos where staff and children can experience tolerance, justice and a sense of self worth, ultimately leading to children who respect themselves, others and their environment.

Our school is a special place, a safe place, a place of learning, a place of nurture and of exploration where we demonstrate openness and acceptance, tolerance and forgiveness. Here, values and attitudes are formed and every individual is celebrated as unique.Our Church School is all of these things and develops a distinctive Christian character through learning, religious education, prayer, worship and action in the name of Christ that makes God’s love and presence known to the world.

Why choose a Church in Wales School?

There are 172 primary and secondary schools across the Principality, and the six Anglican dioceses support high standards of teaching and learning in these schools. In Pembrokeshire, St Aidan’s is one of 18 Church schools, but only 4 of those schools are Voluntary Aided.

St Aidan’s School is Voluntary Aided (VA). The key characteristics of a VA school are:

The Church or Foundation governors are an absolute majority
The governors appoint and employ all staff
Governors are responsible for admissions arrangements, approved by the ‘religious authority’ as defined in the Admissions Code
The LA and the DDE have similar rights to attend governors meetings and to advise
Governors determine the RE syllabus which should reflect the Anglican tradition and worship reflects the Anglican tradition

The main difference between a VA school and a VC school is linked to the amount of support and involvement of the church. In a VC school the number of Church or Foundation Governors is in the minority and all major responsibilities fall to the LA rather than the school and its Governing Body.

The Mission Statement of Church Schools across Wales is:
A Church School is a witness to the mission of Christ in the Gospel.

where Jesus Christ is our foundation;
where every person has equal value and the chance to
grow and develop to their full potential;
where teachers, staff, governors and parents are committed to the education and development of the whole person;
where the search for knowledge is accompanied by a quest
for faith and a journey of spiritual experience;

…so that…

every child can learn of the richness of the created world,
and grasp every opportunity to contribute to it in life;
every member of staff can be nurtured in their vocation to
teach;
every achievement can be celebrated and every
shortcoming forgiven;
every person in this school can know that they are made in
the image of God.