Chaplaincy

Our full-time chaplain is Rev Susy Brouard

“Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for God is with you.’

We are a Church of England School, which is why our Bible passage is at the heart of our vision and values, but we are also a proudly diverse community, and we want everyone to flourish, whether they are people of different faiths or of no faith. 

Our school Bible verse underpins the The Oxford Academy school values that we hold to. 

At The Oxford Academy, we have thought carefully about the context of this passage: King David had been a great warrior king who had brought together the tribes of ancient Israel and created a united and peaceful kingdom from them. One day,  from his palace,  he realised that though he lived in the luxury of his palace, the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ (considered to hold the very presence of God) was resting in a temporary tent. To put this right, he decided that he must build an impressive temple to be the permanent home for the ark of the  covenant and a place of Worship for the people. However, King David was then told by a prophet that it was not God's will for King David to build the temple but that his son, Solomon, one day would. King David then used the time he had left to prepare everything that his son would need to do the work he was going to be commissioned to do. He gathered all the best quality materials for the construction, found the land on which to build, sourced the best creative craftspeople in the land and even drew up the blueprints, the designs for the temple. Towards the end of his kingship, David then speaks to his son Soloman and says ‘Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you'. Everything had been made ready, but only Soloman could now do the work of building the temple.

The Oxford Academy School has been preparing for your arrival, gathering the skilled teachers, and support teams along with the raw materials needed for supporting you in your ongoing education. We value every student in this school and hope that all will be ‘strong and courageous, and do the work’ so that you can all achieve a lot and be the best that you can be.

We encourage everyone to show respect, no matter what their role is within the TOA community, the teachers, the support staff and students who will travel with you throughout your time at TOA. So, apart from our Bible verse you will hear a lot about ‘being courageous’, ‘being curious’ and being compassionate’. 

Learning new things, making mistakes, but being ready to get up and try again takes courage, the sort of courage that both David and Soloman needed in order to make sure the temple got built.

Being curious enough to ask questions about ourselves, others and the world around us, keeps us all intellectually moving and growing constantly. 

Being compassionate, by thinking of others and wanting the best not just for ourselves but for those around us is so important.

We hope you enjoy your time with us here at TOA. We pray that it will be an environment in which you can flourish and become the best version of yourself . The school Chaplain is part of the team here to help on your journey. And, here to support you when you need someone to chat to , someone to share in both the ‘ow’s’ and the ‘wow’s’ of life during your time here. The Be Space chapel is a place of hospitality and welcome, a safe space where you can come just ‘Be’ when you need to. We look forward to meeting you soon!

Our School Prayer: