Friends' School Quaker Policy Document

The Religious Society of Friends founded Friends' School in 1702 as a Christian Community in which pupils could live, learn and develop to their fullest potential. Three hundred years later basic Quaker beliefs still influence every aspect of school life.

Quakers believe that there is something of God in every human being, and that there is no distinction between the sacred and the secular - religion and life are one. These beliefs influence relationships, pastoral structure and organisation within Friends' School.

The ethos of the school emphasises the value of each individual and his or her ideas. Our daily assembly includes a period of silent worship, which recognises the Quaker belief that each individual will seek spiritual truth in his or her own way while respecting the religious choice of others.

It follows from this that we welcome people from all religious faiths, or no faith at all, but all the members of our community are aware that this is a Quaker school. It is our responsibility to teach our pupils to understand the spiritual and human values cherished by the Society of Friends.

The mission statement and our aims have been put together with great care, after a great deal of consultation, to reflect these points.

Friends' School Mission Statement

Friends' School strives to be a unique community where the potential and talent of each individual is realised within a friendly and challenging environment based on Quaker principles.

Friends' School Aims

......to encourage everyone to see that of God in themselves and others

......to enable each individual to meet creative intellectual and physical challenge with confidence

.....to foster an active concern for the community and the environment

.....to create a friendly atmosphere within which diversity is celebrated and supported

.....to provide a secure and caring setting with known boundaries

Quaker Values in Education

In February 2000, a group of Quakers called the 'Education: Our Spiritual Concern Group' produced a document for discussion, which tried to summarise what is special about Quaker Education. It is reproduced as part of our policy as it stands and will be revised when the final version is agreed by the Society of Friends. The staff have discussed the document and how it is translated into practice at Friends' School, and their comments have been sent to the group.

Quakers believe that there is that of God in every person:

This means that those of us involved in education approach every learner hopefully, believing that each individual's educational needs should be recognised and equal value given to them.

It means that we believe in 'immense potentialities', and that the purpose of education is to help individuals to believe in these in themselves.

It means that we believe that learning is a lifelong experience and is part of living rather than a preparation for it.

It means that we respect each individual and value the contribution that each has to make to the learning process.

It means that we treat individuals as equal, whatever their gender, race, culture, class ability, sexual orientation or circumstances. It means that we actively reject, and work to eliminate, discrimination of any sort.

It means that we believe that learning happens most creatively when relationships are based on mutual respect.

It means that we wish to adopt methods of discipline based on trust and mutual support, seeking to promote the positive.

It means that we encourage individual responsibility to the group and the group's responsibility for each individual.

It means that we seek to avoid hierarchies of power and to encourage a participating community.

It means that we want to empower learners to challenge injustice and to develop the imagination to find alternatives, to build compassionately a community which is inclusive of those who may be disadvantaged or rejected.
It means that we encourage questioning and exploration, honesty and openness.
It means that we seek to nurture and value spiritual growth and to open windows into new worlds of creativity and imagination.

It means that we seek creative ways to go forward, particularly in situations that involve or might lead to conflict.

It means that we stress achievements and successes, bearing in mind that excessive use of competition may be destructive.

It means that 'teachers' recognise that they are learners too and need to strive to be good listeners.

It means that we try to live out our vocation 'adventurously'.

It means that we value simplicity, pursuing the things which bring true fulfilment and seeking to find and communicate a right relationship with the material world.

It means that we try to keep before ourselves and others the ideal of unqualified and unlimited love.

At Friends' School, we try to live out the ideals expressed in our own Aims and Mission Statement, and in the Quaker Values in Education Document so that our pupils can develop a system of spiritual beliefs and a moral code, as well as developing as young people with a wide social and cultural awareness.

The Quaker ethos is demonstrated in the school in the following practical ways:

Meeting for Worship and Silence in the School Day

Meeting for Worship lies at the heart of the core values of Friends' School. We gather in silence to seek a deeper understanding of the spirituality of our lives and to feel the power of God's love drawing us together and leading us to find direction in our lives.

Meeting for Worship makes Quaker education distinct and encourages respect for the individual, the habit of self reflection, vulnerability and openness to each other, the experience of silence, the ability to listen, the transformation of tension and the courage to stand up and speak.

We believe that children learn best in a school environment that fosters their spiritual growth. Through silent worship, we affirm the goodness in each person. The experience builds confidence and self-esteem which helps children learn more successfully in all areas.

There is a short period of silent worship for all pupils in the school as part of our morning assemblies, and children at the Junior School spend the last moments of the school day in silence.

Sunday Evening Meeting

On most Sunday evenings there is an Evening Meeting which all boarders are expected to attend and which usually lasts about 30 minutes.
We consider that this occasion offers an opportunity for a quiet time of reflection, meditation and preparation for the week ahead in a spirit of worship, and it strengthens the sense of community.

Each term:
· Two of the Sundays Evening Meetings take the form of a Meeting for Worship and are held in the school library and are led by the Head.
· A further two are hosted by Saffron Walden Meeting and take place in the Meeting House.
· Two involve an outside speaker. A variety of outside speakers are invited, some of whom will take a Quaker theme, to acknowledge and foster an understanding that the school is not isolated but part of a local, national and international community.

Assembly

Daily assemblies enable not only pupils, but teaching and non-teaching staff to meet together as a community. They are unique times of day. The staff and pupils of the Senior School and the staff and pupils of the Junior School meet together each morning, but a whole school assembly is held at the beginning and end of each term. Assemblies provide an opportunity to create and foster the sense of community and to explore and share spiritual and moral beliefs that are at the heart of the school.

Some assemblies are Meetings for Worship, and all contain silent time. They take place each morning and may be led by the Head, members of staff, pupils, and occasionally an outside speaker. Assembly is used to explain and promote different aspects of Quaker belief and practice, but also to cover a wide range of spiritual, moral, and social themes. There is an opportunity here to acknowledge and celebrate the fact that we are a multi-cultural, multi-faith community.

There is a 30 minute Meeting for Worship for all the senior school pupils at 3.30 pm on the Friday before half term in the autumn and spring terms. This offers an opportunity for the day pupils as well as the boarders to experience a longer Meeting for Worship than they would get on a Thursday morning.

Curriculum

The Religious Studies curriculum throughout the school encourages pupils' understanding of the distinctive nature of religion and the contribution of religious and spiritual insights to mankind's and their own search for the meaning of life.

Pupils are encouraged to develop an understanding of the contribution that religion can make to morality, personal and social relationships, rights and responsibilities. They are also encouraged to develop attitudes of wonder, reverence, compassion, curiosity, self respect, respect for others, integrity and commitment.

Although pupils are assisted to understand and respect different cultural values and traditions in our multi-faith society, they are specifically introduced to Quakerism. It is set in its historical context, making clear the basic beliefs of the Religious Society of
Friends. Opportunities arise for pupils to compare and contrast these beliefs with those of other faiths.

In the Senior School, there are opportunities to discuss the major moral and ethical issues of the day, placing them in a religious context. Pupils are encouraged to understand the perspective of different faiths on these issues, but they will always have opportunities to widen their understanding of Quaker views as well. They learn about Friends' corporate witness against war and violence and about Friends' work in the area of conflict resolution.

Special consideration is given to pupils who join the Senior School after Year 7 and therefore miss the introduction to Quakerism, which is given in the first term. They are invited to meet with the Head early in their first term and given copies of the leaflets to read. They then have an opportunity to talk to him again later in the year and raise any matters they would like to discuss or have clarified.

School Council

A School Council has operated in the Senior School for a number of years. It consists of the Quartet, representatives from all forms and a number of senior staff. This council gives an opportunity for pupils to take part in the decision making process within the community. They are helped to understand the concept of democracy and citizenship. They also have a simple introduction to Quaker business methods.

Stewardship of Resources

All members of the school are encouraged to care for the school buildings and the grounds, so that they are well maintained and attractive. Recycling of resources and preservation of energy is encouraged.

Staff

All candidates for teaching posts at Friends' School are asked about their knowledge and understanding of the Religious Society of Friends, and all those appointed are expected to be in sympathy with the Quaker movement. Staff reviews include questions about working in a Quaker School. This policy document is included as part of the information given to new staff.

All new staff are given an induction session by an experienced member of staff about the Quaker ethos and practice in the school.

Recently Saffron Walden Friends have given a copy of 'The Light that Shines' by Harvey Gillman to each new member of staff. Teaching staff are also given a copy of 'Quaker Faith and Practice'.

Staff are encouraged to attend a 'Working in a Friends' School' Weekend, hosted by one of the Quaker Schools every two years.( This is likely to be run each year in future)

Links with the Society of Friends

Close links are fostered with Saffron Walden Quakers. All Year 7 visit the Meeting House and are shown round by local Friends, taking part in a Meeting for Worship whilst they are there. All boarders visit the Meeting House on Sunday evening for a Meeting for Worship twice a term. and local Friends take soem of the Sunday evening meetings in school.

In the Autumn Term, special focus is given to Quaker Homeless Action, and the Spring Term we concentrate on Quaker Peace and Service. The aim here is for pupils to understand some of the practical ways in which Quakers demonstrate their beliefs.

Subscriptions are kept up for Quaker publications such as The Friend, Quaker Monthly, Quaker News and Young Quaker.

Representatives from school attend Junior Yearly Meeting.

Sixth Formers are invited to join the Southern Quaker Schools Pilgrimage to the Lake District each Autumn Term.

Approved by the Board of Governors November 2000

Updated September 2005