Clipping the church

At our end of term service, as well as saying goodbye to our Year 6 pupils, we all take part in the long standing tradition of 'clipping the church'. This event, where we all join hands and make a huge chain around St Peter's, can be found in our log books dating back as far as 1911. Even then, it was described as a 'time honoured custom'

 February 20th 1912

'Today (Shrove Tuesday) the old custom of clipping the church was observed. At 12 o'clock the children were taken to the Parish church and massed below the steps whilst the hym ' We love the place Oh God' was sung and prayers said by the vicar.... the children then joined hands and tripped round the church. After giving three cheers the children returned to school and the vicar kindly distributed oranges to them.'

Please join us at our end of year service to experience Cradley 's clipping of  St Peter's. Oranges are still given out today!

Children's comments following the recreation of the clipping, September 2017

‘I felt good clipping the church because 120 years ago the children’s footsteps would’ve walked there and they would’ve seen the same things as us, like the grave stones.’

‘Other people will step where I’m stepping one day.’

‘ I was inspired when I was walking round it because people like my granddad have stepped there too.’

‘It felt amazing because I was walking on other people’s footsteps’