EverybodyBelongs ~ Aspires ~ Thrives
Our school is a warm and friendly primary school set in the idyllic village of Bathampton. We are the only Community, non-faith based, primary school to the east of Bath.
Before Local Government took over the running of all schools, schools had either been founded as ‘church schools’ with a link to the local church or ‘charitable schools’ and the expression Community School is now used to cover any school which does not have that explicit link to the church. Many people think that Bathampton Primary is a church school as it is next door to the church but it is not. When Multi Academy Trusts were created it was made clear that they must preserve the nature of any non-religious schools which joined, thus Bathampton Primary is still a community school despite being part of the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust.
All schools have to teach Religious Education and hold a daily act of worship, but Church schools will usually retain close links to the church and will have a distinctive religious ethos; they are encouraged to devote 5% of school time to RE and will have some ‘foundation’ (church-appointed) governors who will make decisions within the context of the Christian foundation.
At Bathampton Primary School, assemblies take place daily and may be held within individual classes, with different age groups or the whole school. Assemblies can be led by a member of staff, the Headteacher, or by visitors to the school. Throughout the year, we invite representatives from various groups in our community to lead assemblies such as charities and the local church.
We believe assemblies are a special time to value achievements, to celebrate success and to reflect on personal matters. We ensure our assemblies include a moment of reflection and may include a traditional or spiritual song. Parents may request that their child is withdrawn from school assemblies, although we would ask you to note that they are a valuable opportunity for our school community to gather together.