School's Theologically rooted Christian Vision

‘Inspiring Learning for All’

Recognising its historic foundation, the school preserves and develops its religious character in partnership with the Church of England at parish and diocesan level. The schools religious character is built upon the title deeds of 1902 in which a piece of land was purchased for £250 by the Revd Canon Hubert Arnold Gem as an ecclesiastical charity for the benefit of educating children and adults of the Parish of Wirksworth in accordance with the principles of the Church of England. The children were to be instructed in the Holy Scriptures and in the Liturgy and Catechism of the Church of England.

The school vision ‘Inspiring Learning For All’ was launched in 2016 by staff, children, governors and members of the school community as part of a project to define and reflect our local context. We promote the importance of being kind, sharing and learning to trust and depend on each other in all aspects of school life.

The school’s strong family ethos permeates school life and the very strong emphasis on increasing children’s awareness of Christian ‘values for life’ rooted in the teaching and life of Jesus is a significant factor in enhancing their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Governors and staff are confident that having clear values are a significant factor in ensuring a happy, purposeful and thriving learning community for all our children and stakeholders.

Our school rules based on our values for life ‘we listen, we think, we share, we care’ encompass all aspects of desirable behaviour and embody positive values and expectations. Children learn that these rules will guide and support them in their choices of appropriate behaviour. The rules are used throughout the school day and form the content of our school prayer.

Developed in partnership with children, staff, parents/carers and governors our new school logo (September 2023) depicts an image of a tree which symbolises strength, individuality and expression, calmness, growth and the interconnections of our school community. A myriad of colours behind the tree branches are intended to have the appearance of a stained glass window to reflect the beauty of God’s creation and takes its inspiration from St. Mary’s Church. The logo is bordered in purple which symbolises the importance of thinking deeply and waiting patiently. Purple means to stop, be still and take time to think which we encourage all our children and staff to do as part of their own spiritual development.

Admission Criteria

SIAMS inspections

All Church of England dioceses and the Methodist Church use the Church of England Education Office's framework for the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005.  The SIAMS Evaluation Schedule sets out the expectations for the conduct of the Statutory Inspection of Anglican, Methodist and ecumenical Schools under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005.

SIAMS inspection focuses on the impact of the Church school's Christian vision on pupils and adults. This involves looking at the school’s Christian vision, the provision the school makes because of this vision and how effective this provision is in enabling all pupils to flourish. More detail can be found on the SIAMS website at https://www.churchofengland.org/more/education-and-schools/church-schools-and-academies/siams-school-inspections

In December 2023, Wirksworth Church of England Infant School was judged as living up to it's foundation as a Church school. 

• SIAMS Inspection report December 2023

Charitable Fundraising

Each year, the children create a beautiful well dressing as part of a local tradition and celebration. A collection is made to support a nominated local charity. 

Our schools are proud to have links with a number of local charitable initiatives and we regularly support national events, including:

• Children in Need
• British Legion - Remembrance Day
• Comic Relief and Sport Relief
• Aquabox
• Matlock Jigsaw Food bank
• Cancer Research, with the Cluster of Gell Schools (CoGS) group

Collective Worship

Timetables 2023-2024

SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

As a welcoming church school, we aspire to provide care and support for each other and the wider community through the practical application of Christian values and guidance our children challenge themselves to be independent, inquisitive , knowledgable and a positive influence on society. We continually seek to find ways in which all areas of the curriculum can contribute to children's spiritual development.

Please see our Spiritual, Moral Social and Cultural Policy.

Community links

Our school enjoys close links with our local community and churches, and works in collaboration with other schools as the COGS partnership (Cluster of Gell Schools).

The historic St Mary's Church, Wirksworth, is often a focus for collective worship and celebrations. St Mary's Team Ministry, led by Reverend Neil Griffiths, provides regular support to our schools.

We welcome members of the church family to lead regular collective worship.

For information about Dioceasan links, please go to https://derby.anglican.org/education/

Other local links are listed on our Contacts page.

Foundation Governor Reports

Our Foundation Governors, Reverend Neil Griffiths and Mrs Todd, support our schools in lots of different ways. Mrs Todd provides a regular written report to Governors, which is shared below.

Foundation Governor Report June 2024

Foundation Govenor Report March 2024

Foundation Governor Report January 2024

Foundation Governor Report October 2023

Foundation Governor Report June 2023

Foundation Governor Report March 2023

Foundation Governor Report October 2022

Foundation Governor Report March 2022

Foundation Governor Report January 2022

Jigsaw Food Bank

The Jigsaw Food Bank initiative provides practical help, taking donated goods, in particular canned and dried foods and providing support to people during a crisis. These maybe people unable to provide for themselves due to loss of income, employment or benefits.

Drop off points in Wirksworth are at the Co-op supermarket and St Mary's Church. See link below for further details

https://churchinthepeak.org/church-life/social-action/