Founded in 1753, Fulneck School is an historic independent school with a Christian ethos, and is located in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The school is situated only 15 minutes from the centre of Leeds yet overlooks the picturesque Tong Valley, enabling the pupils to benefit from city living in a tranquil country environment – the best of both worlds in our opinion!

The Moravian Church

Today the school's ethos, influenced by its religious foundations, is based on the moral principles common to most religions. These include tolerance, mutual respect, honesty, and the ability to differentiate between right and wrong.

The name 'Moravian' originates from the region called Moravia in the current Czech Republic. In the 16th century, members of the Moravian Church, a mainstream Protestant Christian religion were persecuted by the predominantly Roman Catholic population, so fled and were given sanctuary in Germany where they set up a self-contained community.

As various branches of the Protestant Church (including Anglicans, Methodists and Reformists) became more accepted in Western Europe, the Moravians came to the UK and established a number of communities including the one now found today in Fulneck. The school itself was established in 1753 in order to provide an education for the sons and daughters of the Church's ministers and missionaries. Today it provides a modern education for the pupils of West Yorkshire, as well as attracting a number of boarders from the United Kingdom and overseas. For further information on the Moravian Church, please visit their website http://www.moravian.org.uk

The Father of Modern Education

Fulneck's Gifted and Talented Programme, which caters for our exceptional pupils, is named after a famous forefather of Fulneck School. Jan Amos Comenius (pictured left), worked as a minister in the early Moravian church as well as serving as a school principal some 400 years ago. He was an amazing and prolific educator and has been called ‘The Father of Modern Education’. He published some of the first picture books for children and was a believer in the education of girls, who at that time were largely neglected educationally. He encouraged teaching children to think rather than merely to learn by repetition and memorizing. It seems fitting, therefore, that as a school with its roots in the Moravian church, we acknowledge the contributions made by Comenius to the education system.

The origins of Christingle

A Christingle is a symbolic object used in advent services in churches of many Christian denominations. It has its origins in the Moravian Church , with the first recorded use, in Germany, in 1747. This is the story of the first Christingle:

During the Christmas of 1747 in Germany, Pastor John was sitting at home in front of his fire. He was thinking how he could explain the love of Jesus, and what Christmas really meant to the children in the church. He decided to prepare a simple symbol to help make the message of Christmas fresh and lively for them. Pastor John gave each child a lighted candle wrapped in a red ribbon with a prayer that said: "Lord Jesus, kindle a flame in these dear children’s hearts". This was the first ever Christingle service.

The Christingle consists of an orange which represents the world, with a red ribbon around it representing the blood of Jesus. Fruits and sweets (usually dolly mixtures) are skewered onto four cocktail sticks which are pushed into the orange to represent the fruits of the earth and the four seasons, and a lighted candle is pushed into the centre of the orange to represent Christ, the light of the world.

Every year, Fulneck pupils celebrate their traditional Christingle in the Fulneck Church.