Schools

Supporting the education of our children and young people

Churches working with our Church of England schools and our county schools to strengthen relationships between church and school.

Things a student would have in their bag

The Church of England has a heart for education

The history of church schools dates back to 1811 when the National Society for the Promotion of Education was founded. Today approximately 1 million children attend a C of E school. A quarter of all primary schools and 228 secondary schools are Church schools. Church schools are expected to uphold a distinctive Christian vision and ethos enabling pupils and adults to flourish.

Church schools

Within the OVMC there are three Church of England Primary Schools. Each school is visited regularly by members of the Ministry Team who lead Collective Worship and support the teaching of RE. Collective Worship is usually based on a weekly theme, with a time for hymn singing, listening and reflecting on a Bible passage or Christian theme as well as time for quiet and prayer.

Feniton and Tipton St John School are federated and share a common vision and vision statement. They are both part of the East Devon Church School Collaborative Partnership. The schools’ vision is based on words from John 10: 10: ‘I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.’, and their vision statement is: ‘Believing and Achieving Together to be the Best that We Can Be’.

Payhembury School’s vision is based on words from Samuel 2.22: ‘The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer: My God, my strength, in whom I will trust’, and its vision statement is: ‘Living, loving and learning forever: becoming the best as we journey together’. Local volunteers lead Open the Book at the school where Bible Stories are acted out for the children to enjoy.

County schools

There are other county primary schools in the OVMC with differing levels of church involvement. We keep all the schools in our prayers and give gifts to all primary school leavers each year. Our other schools are:

There is one secondary school in the OVMC – The Kings School which has a long association with the church as it was founded by Bishop Grandisson in 1535. After the Reformation Henry VIII founded a free grammar school called the King’s School in 1545. The School holds their annual carol service in St Mary’s Church.

School rucksack with pens, pencils, calculator and an apple