Chapel - Christian faith
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| Christian faith is the rock on which we build our school. Structa Saxo, the school motto, means ‘built on a rock’. |
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The St Peter’s Chapel is the heart of our School. To quote the School’s founder Arthur Broadhurst, “In a very real sense the Chapel is, and must be, the centre of our life here: our Christian religion must, and does, supply the motive for all our work and activities”
All students attend weekly Chapel services in their year groups and participate in a service of Holy Communion once a term. In addition to this boarders attend Sunday evening service. Students experience Christian principles and are encouraged to respect other faiths. Emphasis is placed on Christian values and standards with students expected to respect themselves, others and their environment.
There are also a number of major celebrations during the year with the whole School in attendance. These include our New Students Service, Waitangi Day Service, Easter Service and End of Term Services.
Parents enquiring about an education at St Peter's School regularly mention the importance they place on values and standards. The Christian faith is the rock on which we build. “Structa Saxo”, the school motto means "built on a rock". Through their Chapel services, students experience Christian values in action. They are also encouraged to respect other faiths. As part of this, students attend Religious Studies classes, based on the Cambridge IGCSE program. In addition to this, Year 12 students meet with the Chaplain once a year to discuss their spiritual development.
In its foundation St Peter's is an Anglican school. This means that it has a special relationship with the Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand. This relationship is different than that of a Diocesan school and means that the Diocese does not have the right of inspectorate. However, the Archbishop does have the right of visitation to the Board and the Diocesan licensed Chaplain makes regular reports to the Board and the Bishop of Waikato and Taranaki respectively. There is no test of faith to enter St Peter's School, however, all students attend Chapel services and show respect for the founding principles of the School.
Living within our School community we have a resident Chaplain who participates fully in the life of the School and has a key role in promoting the special character of the School. There is the option available for students to prepare to be part of the Anglican Communion. The Chaplain plays an important part as a member of the Pastoral Care Network. We place a great importance on creating within our campus a positive, happy, safe, secure environment.