Christ Church CE Primary School
'Let your light shine' Matthew 5:16
Nothing can prepare you for the sound of thousands of children singing in harmony. Young Voices
combines the power of singing together as one, with accompaniment from a wide range of musicians and artists, to create an amazing performance.
Every year, schools across the country practise the songs to prepare themselves to take part in these massive concerts. With a full live band, backing singers and the internationally acclaimed conductor David Lawrence, it makes for one of the most exciting and memorable musical experiences you can imagine.
Singing in such a large choir means you don’t have to be a great singer – as long as you sing 'loud and proud' you’ll have a fantastic experience! We would encourage any child who wishes to experience a massive, live music concert to consider joining us.
This year we are attending the Birmingham concerts at the NEC. The event is open to children in years 3, 4, 5 & 6. As always, the staff accompanying the children will be Mrs Coomber & Mrs Carpenter.
We rehearse on Friday lunchtimes and it is an expectation that the children will attend as many sessions as possible. Children will also need to commit to learning the songs and actions. There is no cost for the trip, but a t-shirt (including torch & wristband) is available to order for £12.00. For further information please visit the Young Voices website www.youngvoices.co.uk
At Christ Church, we really value pupil voice. At the start of each academic year, children of all ages are invited to put their name forward to be their class's School Councillor. If there are more than two nominees, children are asked to give a short speech to their class peers on why they should be elected. Following this, the class then vote on which two children should represent them at the School Council meetings. These children attend regular meetings with the Deputy Headteacher and discuss a range of issues, from school rules to fundraising ideas and school events. The views of the School Council make such a huge and positive impact on the decisions made throughout the school.
One of the areas that our pupils are most concerned about is the environment and global warming. Listening to the thoughts of our pupils, we decided to create an Eco-Council, whose job it is to bring about positive environmental changes not just in school but in the wider environment. Two children from each class are selected by the classteacher to represent their class at council meetings. From these council meetings, the children have helped us to: reduce our paper usage, increase the amount of material we recycle, conserve energy by turning off lights when not in use, pick up litter, recycle batteries, improve our green spaces and much more.
Sometimes we all just want a little bit of quiet time. We listened to the feedback from our children and created a calm club, which runs every lunchtime from 12:30pm - 1:00pm. Children have the opportunity to draw, read or play board games in a calm environment under the supervision of a classteacher. The club is extremely popular with children who prefer the quiet of the school library to the hustle and bustle of the playground.
As a Church of England school, religion and values are at the heart of everything we do. We value the feedback of all children regardless of their faith and seek their opinion on range of issues. As with our Eco-Councillors, the classteacher selects two children who demonstrate a real passion for religion and worship to represent the class. With the help and feedback of our Worship Leaders we have changed the style of our daily services and adjusted our school values. We are always looking to improve how we do things and will continue to meet regularly with the class representatives to discuss issues and ideas.
The safety of our pupils and staff are of paramount importance. Our site manager conducts weekly safety walks around our school and informs staff or any issues / recommendations. As adults, we may have a different perspective to that of our pupils. That is why three years ago we decided to elect two Health and Safety Monitors from our Year 6 children. Once a small term, these children accompany the site manager, Deputy Headteacher and a school governor on their inspection of the school and help identify any areas to improve. The feedback they have given us has been invaluable in ensuring that we always stay one step ahead of any issues.