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Yr 5 RS Trip – Seeking the Maharajah, Ancient House Museum, Thetord

All the children in Year 5 have recently visited the Ancient House Museum in Thetford as part of the work they are doing in Religious Studies learning about Sikhism.  They took part in a ‘Seeking the Maharajah’ day, which focused on Maharajah Duleep Singh who lived at Elveden Hall just outside Thetford. 

Click HERE to view what the children had to say about their trip:

Yr 6 Trip To Walsingham

The children in Year Six recently visited the Christian pilgrimage site of Walsingham, in North Norfolk, to visit and explore different Christian denominations.  The children have been studying Christianity as a modern world religion.

Click HERE to view what the children had to say about their trip:

Thank you to Maureen Howard and John Evans from the Walsingham Education Office, to Brother Paschal, Father Philip and everyone else we encountered for making our day such an enjoyable one.  

Mr. S. B. Coulthart

St Peter Mancroft and Salvation Army

During May the children in Year 7 went on their RS trip. 7H walked down to St. Peter Mancroft to visit the church and the Octagon Café whereas 7C walked down to the Salvation Army Citadel and Catherine’s Lounge.

These trips are an important part of the Year 7 children’s Religious Studies curriculum. The children have to write up a project, which is submitted as part of their Common Entrance Exam to their future Senior School, on a local religious congregation. Part of their investigation is to see how the congregation participates within the local community.

This is what some of the children said about the trip:

St. Peter Mancroft

When we got to the church we split into two groups and my group went into the church first while the other group went into the Octagon Cafe which is shaped like an octagon on the inside. Firstly we looked at all of the different types of groups that the church supports and wrote down information about certain groups. After this we started to interview different people who were in the church. There were not many people but there were a few and so we asked them a couple of questions for example ‘What do Christians believe about God?’. At first I was a bit nervous but Sacha helped me and I soon got into it a bit more. There were lots of different answers from the different people to my three questions and they were very interesting. Maria

On our trip to St Peter Mancroft I went to the notice boards first and looked at the activities. I was quite surprised at how many activities and interactive things that revolve around the church. Their interest in Fair Trade and environmental issues was good to see. On the notice board it was easy to find all the information because it was all neatly presented. There was a volunteer to help who was close by at all times and he had a name badge on, his name was Martin Foster and he quite happily answered all of our questions. There were three musicians using St Peter Mancroft for their rehearsal because there was a concert in there that night. Lyam

On the trip to St Peter Mancroft I went into the Church and asked a few people what they thought about God, Martin Foster said "God is the maker of everything, including time, space and Mathematics". I was a little bit confused when he said mathematics but he said that he believed in it, so then I kind of understood. Mrs Duxburi said God created the environment and everything beautiful. Interviewing people was a lot of fun but I was a little bit nervous at the start, to just go up to total strangers and to ask them a few questions, I didn't know if they would ignore me or be nice, but all of the people I asked were really nice. Georgina

When I went to St Peter Mancroft I was able to talk to some people in the Octagon Cafe. While I was in there I had a hot chocolate. I enjoyed interviewing people because it is something that you don't do every day. Although I was nervous because I didn't know if the people would let me talk to them I enjoyed it. There were lots of posters up on the railings saying about how the Church is a Fair Trade Church. Evie

I thought that this trip was very inspiring and everyone told me that God loved everyone and that surprised me the most. A lady called Mary was very excited when we went to talk to her. We asked her what Christians believe about God and she said "That God ruled everything". Millie and I spoke to a lady in the Octagon Cafe she was called Janis and we asked her what Christians believe about God and she said " Jesus is the son of God and we should look up to him on the way we live our lives”. It made me very nervous when we interviewed Martin Foster in the Church because I didn't know if he would let us talk to him We asked him What do Christians believe about God and he said" God is the creator of everything". I really enjoyed this trip. Joy

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army trip was a brilliant experience and I learned lots about the community. One thing that struck me was how passionate they were about helping people without homes. Volunteers over the world in 117 different countries come together to help homeless people whatever their age. Because of these generous actions many people think the Salvation Army is just a charity but they're wrong. The Salvation Army is a Christian Church and holds services every Sunday morning and evening in the citadel. About 200-300 people go on Sunday mornings but fewer come in the evening where there are about 100. I learned a lot more than I knew about the Salvation Army and I thought it was a great success. Joe

When we went to the Salvation Army I thought it was a great experience into another Christian denomination that I did not know about. I learnt a lot about what they believed in and how they worshiped compared to other churches. From the outside it looked small and I was expecting it to be small and old, but it was the opposite. When we walked in I was surprised as it was a huge hall filled with seats. It was great to listen to the Major speak about the history and answer our questions about the Salvation Army. It was really interesting interviewing the people in the cafe to see what they said about their beliefs. I really enjoyed the day. Thank you. Sam

At the Salvation Army I was surprised by the setting out of the church it looked like a Methodist Church with lots of light because there was lots of window. There was an upstairs balcony with a organ just like a Methodist Church. It looked very modern with two televisions and a projector for the people to read the hymns off; they did have song books at the back as well for some people. One thing that surprised me was how clean the church was, I don't think I saw a speck of dust, I heard Miss Martin say she could smell the floor polish. Henry

When we went to the Salvation Army Citadel, I was very surprised by the people who went there. A lot of them were fairly old and I was expecting some younger people to go there; although later on we were told that most people come on Sundays. We went to the cafe and had a hot chocolate, (which was delicious) we were introduced to a man called Lieutenant Colonel Brian Knightly. He told us how he had been a teacher for fourteen years and then become a Salvationist and had asked to go to Africa. He then set up schools and churches and taught or helped in them for 4 years helping those less fortunate in Zimbabwe. At this time there was Civil War going on and when he was in his house some rebels came in and wanted food, the rest of the village had gone but he and his family had stayed. After a while they saw his ring and wanted it, he refused but they threatened to blow his finger off! So he gave it to them. Then a young boy went off to get help and luckily they got away in a van and a car, over dead bodies in the street! This shows that Salvationists risk their lives for others; I never thought it could come to such extremes! Isla

At the cafe I interviewed three extremely kind men and women. Most of them were Salvationists and more than willing to answer the questions I put forward to them! One Salvationist quoted that God is the God of love and He puts that in us by Jesus' work. Another Salvationist spoke along those lines. I also spoke to a member of the Church of England, I found that rather surprising because they obviously supported The Salvation Army but didn't follow them, and they said that Jesus' most important teaching was to love each other and be kind to each other. I found this research really interesting because it helps me understand other people’s beliefs. Esther

The children have now started writing up their projects in their Religious Studies lessons. Later on in November the children will attend a service. In addition, a representative from both St. Peter Mancroft and the Salvation Army will be speaking to the children about the work that they do. Thank you to Miss Martin for accompanying the children. Finally thank you to everyone at both St. Peter Mancroft and the Salvation Army Citadel who helped the children and spoke to them on the trip.

Mr S. B. Coulthart

Jewish Way of Life Exhibition

The children in Years 7 and 8 have been fortunate enough to visit the Jewish Way of Life Exhibition, which was visiting Norwich.  The exhibition is designed to education children about the Jewish religion, the history and practices of the Jewish people.  The exhibition helped give the children a greater understanding with which to tackle their biblical work for Common Entrance.

This is what some of the children learnt on the trip:

Shelagh took us over to the ark that had the torah scrolls in but they were not the real things because they would probably get broken.  Maria

There was a Torah scroll there but it wasn’t a real one. A real one would have been made of parchment not paper but it still had all the Hebrew on it. It was written in biblical hebrew.  Sacha

What I enjoyed most was the lady telling us about the Jewish food laws. How they find out if they can eat something is that they have a kosher symbol on some food packets.  Lyam

Shelagh was wearing a kippah.  A kippah is a hat that some Jewish people wear.  James

We also learnt about becoming an adult, a girl is 12 at her Bat Mitzvah, but a boy is 13 because girls go through a change before boys do.  In a synagogue to commemorate Bar Mitzvah boys read from the torah which he has been learning for 3 years, the girl gets a blessing given by the Rabbi to commemorate her Bat Mitzvah.  William

I learnt that when they get married the Jewish groom has to sign a book called a Ketuba and they get married under a tent called the Chupa. The groom smashes a glass at the end of the ceremony to signify the destruction of the temple.  Joy

In a Synagogue lots people can get married, pray and lots of services go on there.  Most of the time services are going on there and people have certain seats to sit in.  All the men sit on the bottom floor and all the woman and children sit upstairs. It was a very fun trip and I learnt a lot of things and was able to find out more things about Jewish people.  Rosa

I would like to thank Shelagh for looking after us so well on both of our trips.

Mr S. B. Coulthart

8C visit to the Salvation Army Citadel

The children in 8C visited the Salvation Army Citadel on 15th November to attend one of their Sunday meetings.  This is the children’s second visit to the citadel; they first visited during last summer term.  Once again we were all given a particularly warm welcome.

The children are in the middle of working on their RS Common Entrance project which is submitted as part of their exam.  The children are exploring the Salvation Army and used their visit on Sunday to question local Salvationists on a wide range of issues.

The Sunday meeting was particularly relevant to the children as it was led and organised by young people who belong to the Norwich Corps.  The Young People’s Annual happens every year and it was interesting to listen to younger members of the corps and what they had to say about their faith and lives.

The children at Town Close are currently collecting new toys and tins of food to support the Salvation Army Toys and Tins appeal.  We look forward to handing over all our donations before Christmas.

Our thanks go to Alison Gibson who facilitated our visit and to everyone at the citadel for making us so welcome.

Mr S. B. Coulthart

Yr 8 Join The Congregation At St Peter Mancroft

On a wet Sunday morning the children in 8LW joined a variety of people across Norfolk who were all making their way to various church services. The children joined the congregation at the church of St. Peter Mancroft, at their Sunday morning service. The trip was an important part of the Year 8 children’s Religious Studies curriculum. The children have to write up a project, which is submitted as part of their Common Entrance Exam to their future senior school, on a local church and how it works within the local community. The Eucharist service focused on All Saints Day. The sermon was by Rev. Charlie Kerr who used to come to school to take many exciting and varied assemblies before moving out of the area.

After the church service the children went through to the Octagon Café, which they previously visited in the Summer Term. Here they had a cup of coffee or drink of squash and set about interviewing members of the congregation. As part of their project the children have to discover why the parishioners attend St. Peter Mancroft and what they think about Christian service and Jesus’ teachings.

In the next couple of weeks Rev. Peter Nokes will come into school to speak to the children and answer their questions on his ministry and the Church of St. Peter Mancroft, which we are looking forward to. Our thanks go to all the members of the congregation who welcomed us so warmly and patiently answered our questions, also to John Pountain and to Rev. Peter Nokes who have once again willingly given up their time to help the children. Thanks also to Mrs Ellingham who joined us for the service.

Y6 Buddhist Centre Trip

All the children in Year 6 have recently visited the Norwich Buddhist Centre as part of the work they are doing in Religious Studies. This is what some of the children thought of their trip:

The trip to Buddhist Centre was a very good because I did all the fun things with all my friends. We first had to walk through the centre of town to get to the Norwich Buddhist Centre. After we had taken our shoes and blazers off we walked up the stairs and into a strange room that was called the Shrine Room. This had a strange but a lovely smell, this came from the incense sticks. Flo Allen

We walked to the Buddhist Centre last Thursday and we had the fantastic time there. Sarvananda (the man who showed us around) lit the candles and the incense sticks. We sat on a blue mat and on a really nice comfortable blue cushion. He chanted a Tibetan song that some Buddhists use when they are doing a stilling exercise or if they are meditating. Rebecca Paton Sarvananda asked Flo and Tom to open the doors of a giant picture that was at one end of the Shrine Room. Once the doors were open we saw a picture of the Buddha in the city. Brandon Moore Hitchings

I also enjoyed looking at the huge painting of the Buddha guarding the town on the wall because it stood out and had lots of colours and textures. I also enjoyed standing up and holding the different pictures of the Buddha. We talked about how calm and powerful they were. Oliver Rash The thing I enjoyed on the Buddhist trip was the stilling exercise. Sarvananda told us sit on a round small pillow with our legs crossed, he told us just to relax and go sleepy. Then he rang a bell and we sat still with our eyes closed for a few minutes. Then Sarvananda rang it again and told us to open our eyes. Nicholas Wileman

I enjoyed it because it was very relaxing and the incense smelt very calming. When we did the stilling exercise we had to sit on some blue cushions. We were told to imagine the Buddha. Thomas Townsend