Collective Worship Activities on our RE Page

You can also visit our Religious Education page where you can find details and photos of some of our collective worship activities here.

Aims and Objectives

The aims and objectives of collective worship are:

• to provide an opportunity for children to worship God;
• to experience silence, stillness, meditation, contemplation and prayer;
• to enable children to consider spiritual and moral issues;
• to develop in children a sense of community spirit;
• to promote a common ethos, with shared values, and to reinforce positive attitudes;

Collective Worship

We understand worship to be a special act or occasion whose purpose is to show reverence to God. Collective worship involves all members of the school coming together and participating in an assembly. We expect everyone to take an active part in the assembly.

In line with the 1988 Education Reform Act, which states that collective worship should be 'wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character', we normally base our assemblies on the teachings of Christ and the traditions of the Christian Church. However, we conduct our assemblies in a manner that is sensitive to the faiths and beliefs of all members of the school.

While most acts of worship in our school are Christian, we also hold assemblies that reflect the traditions of other religions that are represented in the school and the wider community.

Organisation of Collective Worship

We hold a daily act of collective worship, which can be either be whole-school, Key Stage, or a class based.

We conduct assemblies in a dignified and respectful way. We tell children that assembly time is a period of calm reflection. We regard it as a special time, and expect children to behave in an appropriate way. We ask them to be quiet and thoughtful, to listen carefully to the teachings, and to participate fully in prayer and hymns. We create an appropriate atmosphere by using music, and sometimes candles or other objects, to focus the attention of the children.

Collective worship is conducted by the headteacher, teaching staff or led by local clergy from St Peter’s church.

We take the themes of our collective worship from the traditions of the Christian faith, our school vision and we observe the festivals and mark the events of the Christian calendar. Sometimes the themes of our assemblies are related to topics that we teach as part of the school curriculum. We plan collective worship well in advance of the day they take place.

Our collective worship also reflects the achievements and learning of the children. We encourage the children to participate in the assemblies by showing their work to the other children, and by raising issues that they have discussed in their classes. They provide an opportunity to reward children for their achievements both in and out of school. They also play an important part in promoting the ethos of the school, which is that all children are valued, and all achievements are recognised. Our school is a successful school, and we shall continue to celebrate the successes of all our children at our assemblies.

Attendance by Others to our Worship

Lack of space in our hall means that parents and carers are not usually invited to attend unless there is a special occasion such as the Leavers' service. However, at Harvest, Christmas and Easter all the children in EYFS, KS1 and KS2 participate in a special service at St Peter’s Church or in school where many parents and friends join us. All the children are involved collectively, but also through year group presentations, as members of the choir or orchestra, or as readers. Wherever we can we encourage parents’ attendance, as this promotes community spirit, and shows the school and the homes working together in support of the children's achievements.

Governors' attendance at our assemblies is always welcome.

Right of Withdrawal

We expect all children to attend collective. However, any parent can request permission for their child to be excused from religious worship, and the school will make alternative arrangements for the supervision of the child during that part of the assembly. Parents and carers do not have to explain or give reasons for their request. This right of withdrawal complies with the 1944 Education Act, and was restated in the 1988 Education Reform Act.

The headteacher keeps a record of all children who have been withdrawn from collective worship.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• observation of children’s reaction and participation during worship;
• feedback from children in class;
• observation of children’s behaviour
• reference to children’s views including through the school council
• discussion with nominated Governors.

This policy will be reviewed at least every two years.