Partnership with St Stephen’s Church

Banks St Stephen's CE SIAMS Report

Church Links

We have close links with the beautiful St Stephen's Church situated down the road from the school. We have a programme of joint activities and have many formal and informal links. Rev'd Rebecca Clarke visits the school regularly and participates in whole school worship alongside our Worship Group. Rev'd Rebecca is a hands-on school governor and a close member of our school community. She provides pastoral support to the staff and is a member of the Staff Wellbeing Committee. She is also the Chair of the Curriculum Committee! Our other Foundation Governors are Mr Tom Cropper (who has been Chair for many years and most recently Vice Chair). The recently-dug school pond is named Cropper's Pond in recognition of Mr Cropper's enormous and ongoing contribution to school life. Miss Anne Wallbank is a new Foundation Governor, who also takes a great interest in the school and visits regularly. For more information about the Governors' Christian Vision, click the Vision and Values tab and Governing Body tab.

Mr Richardson organised an Easter Worship 2023 at St Stephen's Church. All the children took palm crosses they had made themselves and the theme was The Stations of the Cross. Leading up to Easter we also had an Easter-themed craft competition (Dioramas) and an Easter Community Coffee Morning.

Easter 2023 Worship at St Stephen's

Easter 2023 in Church

Hands on participation by our Foundation Governors

Our Foundation Governors are very hands on and actively participate in the life of the school.

Foundation Governors Church Links

Y6 Worship Group

Every year a group of Y6 children take on the important responsibility of helping to lead worship.

Worship Group

Class of 2022 Leavers' service at St Stephen's

In July 2022 our Leavers' Service was emotional but the Class of 22 are more than ready for the next step on life's journey. They shared reminiscences, songs, readings and poems with the younger children, Y6 parents and governors, who were blown away by their confidence and achievements. We are all so proud of our leavers, knowing that they had been given wings to fly. Credit for this lies not only with the school but with the whole community, who have supported them all the way.

Leavers' End of Year Service at St Stephen's

Christmas 2022 at St Stephen's

It was fun to visit the Church in December for our Christmas service. Bottom left photo, at the front, you can see Mrs Owen, Mrs Mussell and Mr Richardson, our senior leadership team. After this Christmas service, Year 4 had the idea that instead of the teachers buying small gifts for the children, the teachers could make a donation to the food bank. The children then extended this idea by bringing in gifts themselves from home, which they took to the Food Bank at the end of the Christmas service. We thought it was a great idea and this new tradition has continued.

Christmas in Church

Harvest Festival 2022 at St Stephen's

Below are some photographs of the Harvest Service. Due to the strong agricultural heritage of the area, the displays are impressive and we all loved it! We even had our own window. After the service Y4 delivered our school's contributions to the food bank.

Harvest

Class of 22 Leavers' Service at Liverpool Cathedral

Y6 visited the magnificent Liverpool Cathedral for the annual diocesan leavers' service. In recent years, the service has been online due to Covid, so it was great to be back there face to face. In the morning, we took part in a variety of workshops and activities and the service was in the afternoon.

Cathedral Leavers Service

Sunday School (Young Adventurers) and Family Services

Mrs Yardley (who is a member of staff in school) runs the Sunday School. For more information about this please contact Mrs Yardley at school or church. Mrs Yardley is also a Reader at St Stephen's. Rev'd Rebecca (school governor), Miss Anne Wallbank (school governor and Reader) and Mrs Yardley liaise closely with the school to organise regular family services in St Stephen's Church.

St Stephen's Church Magazine

Our Y6 children love to contribute to the Parish Magazine, which is compiled by Mr Kenneth Wallbank. The Church magazine is available from the school office for 80p and subscriptions are also available. Please ring the school office if you want a copy. If you want an annual subscription, please email kenneth.churchfarm@gmail.com and he will put you in touch with the local distributor.

Remembrance Day Ceremony 

Remembrance Day at St Stephen's. Year 6 organised a ceremony, assisted by Mr Bill Abram of Banks Brass Band and Rev'd Rebecca. In 2021 we invited the children of Banks Methodist to join us.

Remembrance

Forest Cross and Prayer Ribbons

Rev'd Rebecca performed a ceremony of blessing on our forest cross (kindly made by a local carpenter) and our prayer ribbons, which children, parents and members of the community tied to our school fences and the cross.

Cross and Prayer Ribbons

 

Please look at our school Facebook page for more pictures/videos of Church events.

BSS School Facebook Page