Wonersh & Shamley Green School
Church of England Voluntary Aided Infant School.
See the website of the School
The school is a smaller-than-average infant school with a maximum of 90 on the school roll at any one time. It is located in the neighbouring village of Shamley Green on the Wonersh side. The school is happy and successful with one class of pupils in each of its three years. Its 2008 Ofsted report rated it ‘Outstanding’ in all categories and it is highly respected in the local community.
Recognising its strong Christian ethos and links to the local church and diocese, as well as statutory appointments from staff, parents and the local authority, there are eight Church of England appointments to the Board of Governors – three Diocesan, two from Shamley Green Church, two from Wonersh Church and the ex-officio post held by the Vicar of Wonersh. A number of parents of the children at the school (and indeed Governors) are also regular members of the church congregation or are members of other churches in the Diocese, including Bramley and Shamley Green.
Both spiritual and community links between the church and school are strong, making the Wonersh Vicar’s appointment important. The Vicar and/or Nicky Cooke take assemblies at the school every other week. In addition, Wonersh is linking with neighbouring Bramley Church to form a team that will visit Bramley and Shamley Green schools to read and act out Bible stories on a weekly basis, using the national ‘Open the Book’ scheme to enhance their morning assemblies.
Our Vicar plays an active and supportive role in the life of the school especially as a new Head Teacher is due to be appointed during 2010.
St Martin's Blackheath also have strong connections with Chilworth CoE Inants School.
Open the Book
Open the Book” is a scheme, using teams from local churches, to present a series of Bible Stories in the collective worship assemblies of Primary Schools. Each assembly lasts 10-15 minutes. The stories are read using a variety of lively and engaging story-telling techniques, with visual aids, drama, mime, costume and the children themselves. The aim is to communicate the Bible in an accessible, enjoyable and memorable way, which enables the children to engage imaginatively with the text.
“Open the book” started in Bedfordshire and has spread to many areas of the country, including here! Since Easter, the parish churches of Bramley and Wonersh have joined forces to take it into our Infant Schools approximately fortnightly. The story-telling teams are made up of volunteers from both churches and each comprise 3-5 people, who meet for a rehearsal before going into Wonersh and Shamley Green School on a Thursday morning and then Bramley School on a Friday morning. There are 18 volunteers so far, so the commitment for each one is 2 or 3 times this summer term.
Please get in touch if you would like to know more or to volunteer.
Sue Metcalfe
