YEAR GROUP EXPERIENCES

Experiences/ Assemblies/ Prayer Services/ Church Visits/ Celebration

Assemblies: Each year, every class at St James the Great will organise and perform their own class assembly for the school which parents are invited to.

Prayer Services: All classes organise and hold their own prayer services for their families.

Harvest Festival - Year 3: Each year, the Year 3 pupils take part in a Harvest Festival where they collect donations for local homeless charities. They also prepare and serve a special Harvest lunch for their families and friends where they use place mats and menus that they have designed in class. An assembly is also planned and the children write reflections and prayers to share.

Easter Reflection - Year 4: During Easter, Year 4 pupils lead us through their Easter Liturgy, reflecting on the events of Holy Week

Stations of the Cross Mass - Year 5: Year 5 lead us through a very spiritual evening with their Stations of the Cross mass that is held at a local church for Junior children and their families. This special mass helps set the tone for our journey through Lent. The mass is accompanied by beautiful singing from our Chamber Choir.

Christmas Carol Concert - Year 6: Each Year we hold a Christmas Carol Concert at a local church which is attended by all Junior children within the school.

Termly Mass: These are held at one of our local Parishes; St Bartholomew's, Norbury or St Andrew's, Thornton Heath.

Multi Faith Week: The children are given the opportunity to learn about other Faiths around the world. This sometimes involves visits to Gurdwara, Sunagogue or Mosque and the children's work is exhibited in the main hall for parents to come and see. Our aim is to enable the children to have a deeper understanding of the world around them, other Faiths, and their own Faith as a result.

World Book Day: Children are encouraged to come to school dressed up as a character from one of their favourite books.

Careers Week / Fortnight: Parents visit classes to discuss their jobs/work with the children. This is embedded within curriculum time and develops cross-curricular links - over 60 parents volunteered .

Values Week: Each class takes a famous person and looks at their personal attributes, their characteristics and how they align with our values. They can be as diverse as the Dalai Lama to Darcey Bussell.

Other Noted Dates/Events:

History Day
Victorian Day - Ragged School visit
Poppy Day/ Armistice Day
Fireworks Display - organised by the Friends Association
Seaside trips within holidays targeting families on low income,
Mothers' Day & Fathers' Day Breakfast Mornings
Macmillan Coffee Morning - organised by staff members of St James the Great
Croydon Loud and Proud competition (Public Speaking competition).
National Quiz Competitions, Maths, Science and General Knowledge Spelling Bee.
A wide range of sporting competitions take place including Netball and Football tournaments, and swimming galas.