Collective Worship
“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs” (Psalm 100, v2)
Our Collective Worship is a highly valued time in every school day where the whole school community gathers together. It provides an opportunity for our school community to engage with our own spirituality and Biblical teachings and leave feeling refreshed and inspired.
Collective Worship is inclusive in that it welcomes those of Christian faith, other faiths or none. It recognises the collectivity of all participants, making no assumption that all have the same beliefs and values. Children and staff are encouraged to think and reflect on the theme being conveyed. They can choose to close their eyes and reflect or join in with reading or saying prayers.
We plan our themes using the Christian calendar, our Vision and our Christian Values. We also respond to Global issues to encourage the children to be the change they want to see in the world, ‘the door’ to being Courageous advocates.
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 and our ethos group supports us in this through their weekly meetings.
Collective worship gives the whole school community the opportunity to:
- Engage in an act of community
- Express praise and thanksgiving to God
- Reflect on the character of God and on the teachings of Christ through Biblical texts
- Affirm Christian values and attitudes
- Celebrate special times in the Christian calendar
- Experience and respond to Anglican traditions and practices
- Explore the big questions of life and respond to national events
- Foster respect and deepen spiritual awareness
- Be still and reflect
- Share each other’s joys and challenges
In accordance with legislation an act of Worship happens daily at All Saints’ Church of England Primary, Blackheath. This can be either together as a whole school or as a class group. Our links with All Saints’ Church and visiting clergy from churches around the area allow our children a variety of experiences and settings for collective worship. We recognise that worship can take many forms and we ensure our school community has opportunities to experience worship in its many forms. Many of our Year 5 and 6 pupils also belong to the All Saints’ church Youth group.
.Worship is enriched by the use of:
- Quotes and questions to encourage deeper thinking about each value
- Photographs and You tube clips, newsround to root the teaching in the everyday experience of children and gain a deeper understanding of local and world wide issues
- Stories, poems and art
- Prayers and guided reflections from traditional and contemporary sources
Collective worship allows all pupils to continue to reflect and respond to the termly value through the use of a reflection area, which is accessible to and inclusive for all pupils.
…..In school
…..In church
