Collective Worship
Collective worship is an integral part of our day. We make our Collective Worship Inclusive, Invitational and Inspiring. We provide opportunities for all members of the school community to engage with the teaching of Jesus and enable participants to reflect on spiritual, moral and philosophical issues.
We want our Collective Worship to be a reflective time whereby those involved can explore their own beliefs and faiths. We use this time to build and develop and sense of community spirit and promote shared values, vision and ethos. We think about those who have shaped British Culture through courageous advocacy and the love of God. We explore how Christians around the world worship in a variety of ways.
During our Collective Worship we gather, explore, communicate and reflect. We ask our children what they can take from the teachings or reflections from the theme and how they could use it today, tomorrow and in the future. How it help them to ‘live life in all its fullness’ John 10:10.
We plan our themes using the Christian calendar. We incorporate our Vision in all our Collective Worship and reflect on our Christian Values and respond to Global issues to encourage the children to be the change they want to see in the world.
We ensure our Collective Worship is Inclusive as pupils bring their own experience to worship. Inclusion requires pupil involvement in planning, leading and the evaluation of worship. Collective worship in our school grows out of the local context and out of pupils’ experience, including their cultural backgrounds. It should reflect the faith, belief, and ethnic communities the school serves.
We are invitational, the door is always open. All are welcome to come in and sit as near or as far away from the fire as they feel comfortable. Pupils and adults should always only be invited to pray if they wish to do so and should be invited to pray in their own way. Prayer should always be accompanied by the option to reflect. There is no compulsion to ‘do anything’. Rather, worship provides the opportunity to engage whilst allowing the freedom of those of different faiths and those who profess no religious faith to be present and to engage with integrity. There is no assumption of Christian faith in those present.
We want our Collective Worship to be inspiring. It should enable pupils and adults to ask big questions about who we are and why we do what we do. It should motivate pupils and adults into action, into thinking differently, and into reflecting on their and the wider community’s behaviour and actions. As a result of inspirational collective worship, they should be inspired to become courageous advocates of causes.
There will always be those who are uncomfortable to enter through this open door of worship in our schools and so the Church of England recognises the right of withdrawal from collective worship for those parents or pupils who wish to exercise this option. This is fully explained fully in the school’s Collective Worship Policy.
These are just a few reflections from our children:
Collective Worship Timetable 2024
Collective Worship Spring Term 2024
Collective Worship Summer Term 2024
No Outsiders in Our School Plan – Diversity and Equality integrated in CW
