Dagnall Church of England school was established in 2015, joining the St Albans Diocese. We have close links to All Saints Church, Dagnall. The Vicar is Rev Joy Cousans who is a also a governor of the school. Rev Joy regularly leads collective worship at the school and supports us with the teaching of R.E. eg. we have visited All Saints Church to learn about, and act out christening, a wedding and for our Christmas performances and Christingle service.
For more information see 'Our Church Links' in the Community menu.
We were inspected under SIAMS and achieved 'Good' overall, being graded 'outstanding' at meeting the needs of individual learners.
"The Christian character of Dagnall School is clearly evident throughout the whole school. Relationships at all levels are excellent. Staff, pupils and governors can all articulate the school’s Christian values and how these influence behaviour and relationships, attitudes and learning. Pupils know that Bible stories are the inspiration for their school values."
Our School Prayer
This prayer was written by the children to ask God to help support us in upholding our vision and values.
Dear God,
Thank you for all of the wonderful things that you do and the amazing world that you have made
We are grateful for the beauty of nature and the opportunities we have to grow and learn.
Thank you for our wonderful school.
Thank you for my lovely friends and teachers that help us learn.
Please help us to be respectful
Remind us to be kind and help other people.
Help us to focus and concentrate so that we can learn more
Let us always be brave and challenge ourselves
Help us to always love you so that, rooted in your love, we can aim high
Amen
Written by:
Robins
Red Kites
Sparrowhawks
Woodpeckers
Collective Worship
Collective Worship at Dagnall C of E School is a special and cherished time where our school community can take time from their busy day to come together to reflect, question and pray. Our collective worships are inclusive for all children and staff, whether of religious belief or not. Children are invited to engage with the worship in the most fitting way for them; some children love to worship by helping to act out stories, join in songs and interact with peers, whilst other children prefer quiet contemplation and thoughtful silence. Therefore, we offer invitational worship for children to engage in at their own chosen level. Children particularly like leading their own collective worships and inviting parents in to take part each term. Wherever possible we aim for our Collective Worship to inspire children to want to make a change for the better. Our children, surrounded by God's beautiful countryside, are strong advocates of nature and feel impassioned to protect the world for future generations. Collective Worship often leads to requests from the children to raise money for people or animals in need or setting up pupil-led extra curricular clubs to help to protect God's little creatures.
An example weekly timetable of worship
Mondays: Mrs Fleet leads collective worship based on our core Christian values - friendship, respect and perseverance.
Tuesdays: Mrs Hunt leads the school in a singing collective worship.
Wednesdays: Children have the opportunity to take part in a class collective worship of topics appropriate to and chosen by each class. This could be within their classroom or the spiritual garden.
Thursdays: Teachers each lead a collective worship exploring parables and their meaning.
Fridays: Mrs Fleet leads our 'Share and Shine' collective worship with an opportunity to reflect on our successes from the week.
We are lucky to have visits from guest speakers such as Reverend Joy, Chris Lane and Andrew Masters who regularly come in to lead collective worship. Parents are warmly welcomed to take part too and we often have parents who come in to talk to the children about their beliefs and celebrations during class collective worships. If you would like to help to enhance our worship, please do let us know!
Reflection Spaces
Classroom Reflection Spaces
Having the opportunity to reflect is essential in developing children's spiritual awareness of themselves and the world around them. Each classroom has a quiet area designed to support children to think, resolve conflict, answer big questions or pray. These areas are set up by the children during class collective worship and then are used and build up throughout the half term.
Whole School Reflection Spaces
Our beautiful spiritual garden is used by children throughout the school day, including play times and lunch times for a peaceful place to enjoy the sensory herbs and wildlife attracting plants, sit calmly with friends, read a book or pray.
At key points throughout the year, our school hall is transformed and children across the school have the opportunity to take part in a reflection space. This is a series of activities (which the children help to create) which encourage children to answer big questions or engage with big topics.