William Gilpin Church of England School has a long history of service to the community. The school was originally founded by the Reverend William Gilpin in 1791 'For the Education of the Sons and Daughters of the Day Labourers of the Parish'. By 1870 the original building on the corner of School Lane was too small for the needs of the village and the present building was opened in 1875.

In 2024/25 we will be celebrating both the 400th anniversary of the birth of our founder, William Gilpin, as well as the 150th anniversary of our school opening on its present site.

Christian Values

Worship underpins the values of our school and nourished by it we uphold our Christian ethos in all we do.

Our values encompass Courage, Compassion and Community through a love of Christ.

Our School Vision Statement

Deep-rooted Christian values and strong, nurturing relationships nourish and enrich the lives of the children at our small church school. We build the courage needed to stand tall and challenge injustice, grow compassion so that our children emerge as kind, respectful and tolerant people, and cultivate a sense of community, branching out to others in our locality and the world beyond.

Courage

“It takes courage to show up and be who you really are.”

E. E. Cummings

Courage is a core value for our church school because we want children to be courageous young people, who stand up for what they believe in, be brave in their learning and be their authentic selves at all times.

In the book of Joshua, God tells his people to ‘Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened, for the Lord God is with you wherever you go.’ This reminds us that we are always supported when being courageous, even when we might feel alone. As a school community we will make sure that everyone feels safe and supported enough to be courageous.

Compassion

“If you want others to be happy practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Dalai Lama

Compassion’ and ‘sympathy’ have much in common and both are stronger in meaning than simply ‘feeling sorry for’ someone. The words have their roots in the idea of ‘suffering with’ someone, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and experiencing what they experience. This leads to a desire to act, to do something. It is not patronizing. It is not about ‘doing good’ from a position of strength or ‘remembering those less fortunate than ourselves’.

Jesus showed compassion towards the ‘harassed and helpless’ crowds (Matthew 9.36) and his works of healing were always prompted by compassion for people’s suffering. He wept at the death of Lazarus and was moved to act.

It is really difficult not to prioritise your own needs, even as an adult never mind as a five year old. However, if we learn to put others before ourselves the rewards are immense.

Community

“A community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings. You…the people must give it this soul.”

Pope John Paul II

Community as a value is extremely important to us at William Gilpin. We value all members of our school community and enjoy the time we spend together each day. Older children support younger children, we all know and ‘get’ each other and parents and teachers work in partnership. We also know that our community is not just staff, pupils and parents; we also engage with those in our village community, younger pupils who have not yet joined us plus children in schools in other countries.

In Corinthians God speaks to us about what a community might be like, ‘So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.’ We all matter at William Gilpin, we are all equal and we make happiness a priority!