Collective Worship at St George's
In a church school, collective worship should enable pupils and adults to flourish spiritually.
The daily act of collective worship is a legal requirement in all church schools. In a Church of England School it should always be Christian worship and it should reflect the traditions of the Church of England, developing learners’ experience and understanding of Anglican traditions and practice.
Collective worship should make a major contribution to upholding and supporting the religious character and Christian distinctiveness of a church school. It should be an expression of the school’s Christian vision. The importance of worship therefore must be central to the life of the school.
“Collective worship is a time to be with God.” (Year 5 pupil)
“It is an important part of the day because I have to respect other religions like they do to mine and we line up and learn things we might have not known about each other.” (Year 5 pupil)
At St George’s, collective worship is of the highest quality and aims to inspire and affect pupils and adults. It should enable spiritual growth in all participants, whatever their faith or none. There is an opportunity for everyone in the school to participate, including the chance for pupils to plan and lead worship.
“Worshipping is important to show respect.” (Year 4 pupil)
“Worship is important to pray and talk about God.” (Year 4 pupil)
We include opportunities to
- understand the school’s Christian vision
- promote and affirm Christian values
- sing, pray and give thanks to God
- reflect on the characteristics of God and on the teachings of Jesus Christ
- listen to and learn from the Holy Bible
- celebrate special times in the liturgical calendar
- share each other’s joys and challenges
- foster respect and unity
- deepen spiritual awareness and reflection
- experience services of the Eucharist
Collective worship has an effect upon the thinking and day-to-day actions of the whole school community outside the act of collective worship itself, impacting upon school life and on the daily lives of the members of the school community both inside and outside the school.
For collective worship to be truly effective and make a contribution to the Christian distinctiveness of the school, it is an expectation that the whole school community be included. In particular, no pupils should be excluded as experiencing collective worship is their entitlement and an important aspect of being part of a church school.
By applying to a church school, parents understand the school’s distinctive character and should recognise that collective worship is central to the life of the school.
AUTUMN TERM
This half term, we are exploring the Lord's Prayer in collective worship. We will be unpicking the language and thinking about what the words mean and how they relate to us in 2024.
STAFF REFLECTION
autumn 1 overview for staff.pdf
YouTube Collective Worship
YouTube Lockdown Collective Worship
When we updated our school vision, we shared this with our school community through Collective Worship.
Vision Worship One Vision Worship Two Vision Worship Three