Over the past fortnight in Religious Education, children in Year 3 (7 and 8 year olds) have learnt about the Bible story of Samuel being called by God, and how at first he mistook it for the summons of his master Eli.  Building on the instruction Eli gave to Samuel of “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”, the pupils reflected on the difference between hearing and listening.  By linking this to their own lives, and usually involving instructions from their parents that they may have heard but not necessarily listened to, the children were able to understand more fully how important it was for Samuel to listen to God’s call rather than just hear the voice of his master.  As we continue this period of partial school closure, and this work being done by home learners as well as school attendees, the need to listen to the true word of the Lord is perhaps a good way of helping us to balance out some of the more “catastrophising” news reports that we still hear about education.  We all have a lot to learn from the children in Year 3!

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher