Our collective worship policy strengthens and supports the Christian identity of our school, reaffirms our values and celebrates the contribution that each child makes to our community. Worship will reflect the variety of traditions found in the Church of England, and will recognise and follow the Christian liturgical year. The daily Christian act of worship is central to our ethos and is supported by all staff and members of the governing body.
“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God and to devote the will to the purpose of God”. William Temple (1881-1894)
Aims
Our school worship is central to the life of the school and contributes to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils, as appropriate to their ages and aptitudes.
Organisation
School worship (See also Appendix A)
As a Church of England School, the content of our worship is organised to:
The nature of Acts of Worship
Our daily act of worship should be an activity that:
Weekly Organisation of Collective Worship September 2018
|
EYFS |
KS1 & 2 |
Monday |
Jack in the Box worship led by class teachers |
Whole school worship @ 1.05pm led by staff on rota |
Tuesday |
Jack in the box worship led by class teachers |
Whole school worship @ 1.05pm led by staff on rota |
Wednesday |
Prayer and reflection worhip led by class teachers |
Whole school worship @ 1.05pm led by staff on rota |
Thursday |
Singing and praise worship led by classteachers |
Singing and praise worship @ 1.05pm led by staff on rota |
Friday |
Whole school celebration worship @ 2.30pm |
Whole school celebration worship @ 2.30pm |
Implementation
Collective worship is a legal requirement. Each school must provide a Christian act of collective worship for all pupils every day. This act of worship can take place at any time of the school day and in any regular school grouping e.g. whole school, key stage or class.
See Appendix A for a list of requirements and features of worship at St George’s C of E Primary School.
Worship in the classroom.
This is held within the classroom on a weekly basis and lead by the class teacher.
All the necessary resources i.e. songs, PowerPoints and video clips are saved into a teacher shared folder for all staff to access.
Teachers are responsible for adapting the plans and resources to suit their class and age group. Teachers are to provide any ‘real life’ objects or art resources which are needed to enhance the worship session.
Worship in the classroom follows the same requirements and features (See Appendix A) as Key stage and whole school worship.
Inclusion
Acts of worship should include all children and the content should respect the individuality of each child. Acts of worship will be always Christian but they will not be for proselytising; instead respecting the integrity and choices of every person. Prayers will be by invitation and there will be a time for free reflection.
When planning thought should be given to SEND children, especially any VI/HI children, to ensure they can access and engage with the stories and sung worship.
Resources
A budget will be set each year to provide resources needed for the effective delivery of collective acts of worship.
Right of Withdrawal
Although parents and carers have a legal right to withdraw their child from collective worship, by requesting and accepting a place at St George’s Church of England Primary School it is hoped that they demonstrate an understanding of the centrality of Christianity to the school and nature of the school as a place with religious education and collective worship in its daily life.
If you do wish for your child/ren to not be present in worship, then a formal request must be made in writing to the Head Teacher. The Head Teacher keeps a record of all children who withdraw from collective worship.
Evaluation and Record Keeping
The CD Leader will keep a record of the acts of Collective Worship, which shall include sufficient detail to show that this policy is being put into practice, this will include regular evaluation of the impact of the worship. The pupils, staff and parents will be asked to contribute to the evaluative process.
A group of children are asked to complete an evaluation form after each Collective Worship sessions. These are kept and reviewed by the CD leader.
Monitoring and Review
It is the role of the CD Leader, Head Teacher and Governing body to monitor the policy and practice of collective worship. They should receive copies of the worship scheme, observe whole school acts of collective worship regularly (at least three times per year) and seek the views of pupils.
CD leader to observe and monitor the leading of worship in the classroom. (at least 2 times a year)
Evaluations from the children will also be taken into account when planning worship sessions.
Self-assessment and Inspection
School Self-assessment will be completed on the SIAMS Toolkit by Head Teacher and CD Leader.
Worship is inspected under S48 of the Education Act.
Collective Worship Policy Appendix A
Leading Worship
This is what worship at St George’s C of E Primary School looks like WORSHIP TO BEGIN AT 1.05pm AND FINISH AT 1.30pm PROMPTLY
Playing worship or quiet reflective music on arrival
Ensure that the Alter can be seen, that the stage curtains are drawn etc.
Welcome children by lighting the candle and by saying an Anglican bidding prayer (The Lord be with you…)
Leading Celebration Worship
Celebration worship at St George’s C of E Primary School includes: