Our Village Community
It takes a village to raise a child is an African proverb that means that an entire community of people must interact with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment. Inter-generational connection is really important in our rural village. We want our youngsters to know and respect the adults and elderly people that they bump into!
Our school is at the heart of our community and we take pride in the central role that we play in it. The following activities help the children to understand the importance of service to others as responsible citizens:
- Community Cafe run by the children in the Village Hall is open to the entire community including those in residential care
- Community reading volunteers are recruited from the village and school communities and visit every day
- Parent volunteers work as a trained group of librarians who help children to choose books wisely each morning
- Singing to the villagers' Worstead Friends group to bring them Christmas cheer
- Visits to a Residential Home to bring smiley faces and conversation
- Raising money for charities throughout the year and gathering donations at harvest time
- Taking part in the Worstead Festival, including our own marquee for visitors' children and opening the Festival with a parade
- Inviting the community to use our facilities - e.g. an inflatable planetarium and our Forest School area used by Worstead Pre-School
- The local landowners allowing us the use of bordering farmland to get around the smallness of our school site
- Regular church services at St Mary's, Worstead, which are well-attended at Harvest, Remembrance, Christingle and Easter as well as at services of thanks at other key points of the year.
It is well-known in the local community that our school reaches out and welcomes any new links which can be made. We also work with the Worstead Festival Committee and closely with the Parish Council. Our messages to villagers are published in the Worstead Woven magazine.