School Chaplain: Revd. Andrew WInter
Ipswich School’s Christian foundations are evident in its life in a number of ways. The Personal Development Programme, with its twin emphases on individual development and communal responsibility and service, is firmly rooted in the Judaeo-Christian ethos. Pastoral care is grounded in the same ethos, and the ordained Anglican chaplain works as part of a team which includes the School Matron and the School Counsellor.
Weekday Chapel assemblies explore spiritual and ethical issues in a way which is accessible to pupils of all faiths and of none. Their purpose is to encourage the students to question and explore, rather than settling for an immature faith or a facile atheism. Perhaps for this reason, the majority of pupils of non-Christian faiths do not opt out of Chapel. Termly Chapel Services for each part of the school offer pupils and families the opportunity of Christian worship in the School context. Annual services such as the Carol Service and the Commemoration of Benefactors Service, occasions on which the majority of the School gathers together, help to foster a sense of corporate identity.