Rhayader is proud to be a Church in Wales school and we base our school ethos on Christian Values whilst celebrating individuals faiths and beliefs.
Jesus said ‘I have come that you may have life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10).
He calls us to a full life in mind, body, heart and spirit. Therefore, at Rhayader School we believe the purpose of education is to nurture and enable every child to thrive and to be the person they are fully capable of being.
Our values that are taught throughout school life are:
- Friendship
- Generosity
- Thankfulness
- Service
- Forgiveness
- Trust
- Truthfulness
- Kindness
- Compassion
- Perseverance
- Respect
- Courage
We are pleased to announce that Rhayader Church in Wales Primary School is the first school to achieve the Peace Mala accreditation in Powys.
The Peace Mala and Church schools work go hand in hand. We teach the 12 values above over a 2 year cycle and link them to everyday life and the Peace Mala message ‘To treat others as you would like to be treated’ through everything we do.
In September 2015, the school received the Peace mala accreditation. Following the section 50 church inspection in January 2014, where the school was praised on its ethos of inclusivity and how the children treated others with respect, the school was encouraged to aim for the Peace Mala award. In March 2019, the Silver accreditation was awarded for the school’s continued work on RE and Peace Mala. In July 2025, the school was awarded the Platinum accreditation.
The Peace Mala award looks at different religions and the promotion of tolerance and understanding of other and their beliefs.
The whole school community understands that they need to treat others as they themselves want to be treated. That is the golden message of the Peace Mala.
The school through the Peace Mala award tries to educate the pupils to celebrate what makes people different from each other. It is our vision for the future that the children will help create a more tolerant and peaceful world in the future.
The school has re-written the RE scheme of work around twelve values that link with the Peace Mala. The work produced by the children is inspirational and has been praised by visitors to the school. The award celebrates the creative and innovative teaching happening at Rhayader school.
The Peace Mala was born in a classroom in Coedcae School, Llanelli, Wales UK. Pam Evans, Head of Religious Studies and her pupils were discussing the terrible events of September the 11th. During the discussion in the classroom, they realized something needed to be done to combat prejudice and religious intolerance. The rise in Islamaphobia in the world was to be expected, as a response to the attack. What was more shocking was the rise in fundamentalism, racism and prejudice, that we are faced with today. The Peace Mala bracelet was created as a simple representation of the world’s religions living alongside each other in harmony. Every year in the Autumn Term, Rhayader Church in Wales Primary School Year 3 children, make the Peace Mala bracelet as part of their RE work.
“People are like stained – glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”
Our most recent Inspection report from the Church in Wales is here. Rhayader Sec 50 final draft (1)