All schools must provide a daily act of collective worship for all pupils which must be ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’ (Education Reform Act 1988).

Collective worship fulfils part of the school’s duty to develop pupils spiritually, morally, socially and culturally. Pupils are given the opportunity to learn about interesting cultural traditions and their meaning, listen to stories with a moral message and reflect on the Christian values we hope to develop and promote both within our school community and in each individual; Respect, Responsibility, Kindness, Courage, Honesty and Forgiveness.

Collective worship gives pupils and school staff the opportunity to:

• engage in an act of community

• express praise and thanks to God

• be still and reflect

• express the big questions of life and respond to national events

• foster respect and deepen spiritual awareness

• reflect on the character of God and on the teachings of Christ

• affirm Christian values and attitudes

• share each other’s joys and challenges

• celebrate special times in the Christian calendar

Worship takes place every day and may be whole school or class worship. Our pattern of worship each week also includes whole school worship, Open the Book, singing assembly where we practise and add to the songs available for our worship, and a celebration assembly where we celebrate the achievements of different members of our school community.

We are very grateful for the regular input of local clergy, lay preachers, church wardens and foundation governors for their contributions to our worship in school and at our church services.

In addition to celebrating and reflecting on seasons of the Church Year, our collective worship themes are planned to include a focus on the Christian values that are an important part of the school ethos and that we aim to reinforce in this time of meeting together. We also value learning about inspirational people and reflecting on what we can learn from their lives.

Below is an overview of some of the themes.

Autumn Term

Kindness

‘Be compassionate and kind to one another.’ Ephesians 4:32

Kindness is being friendly, generous, and considerate to others and yourself. Being kind often requires courage and strength, as it involves the willingness to celebrate and give attention to someone else. In our school we believe everyone deserves to be treated kindly. A kind word, a smile, the opening of a door, help carrying a heavy load or by giving honest feedback when doing so is helpful to the other person can all be acts of kindness.

We will be linking this Christian value to stories of the Bible including the story of ‘The Loaves and the fishes’.

Worship will include the themes: Stronger together; Little things; Acts of love and kindness; The fruit of the spirit; To serve and be kind; Everyone has something to offer.

Respect

‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.’ Mark 12:31

Respect describes what we most want for our community - having respect for ourselves, others and our environment. How we show acceptance and tolerance towards others – celebrating difference and diversity as well as what draws us together as human beings so we can live with respect for each other and the world around us.

We will be linking this Christian value to stories of the Bible including the story of ‘The Good Samaritan’.

Worship will include the themes: Who is invited; Leadership; Differences are great; Respect – what a difference attitude can make; Respect and British values; Treating others as we would want to be treated.

Autumn term themes also include: New School Year, Anti-bullying, Harvest, All Saints Day, Remembrance, Advent, Christmas and Prayer (linked to R.E day).

Spring Term

Responsibility

‘So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the prophets.’ Matthew 7:12

We feel this value is key to the work we do in school; that we all have rights and we all have responsibilities. This is reflected in the responsibility we have to ourselves to always do our best, but also the service and support we give to others. Responsibility is thinking about the good of everyone, not just what suits one individual.

We will be linking this Christian value to stories of the Bible including the story of ‘The Lost Sheep’.

Worship will include the themes: Responsibilities – what are we responsible for; Our responsibility to the earth; Helping matters; God’s world; The power of ideas; Responsibility for our actions.

Forgiveness

‘Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.’ Luke chapter 11 verse 14

Everyone makes mistakes, it is part of being human. Sometimes our mistakes hurt others or their mistakes hurt us, when this happens we need to say sorry and we also need to forgive. Forgiveness can be difficult but without it a new start is impossible. The Christian Value of Forgiveness was at the heart of everything Jesus did and is at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer which we say at the start of every school assembly. Forgiveness cannot be given or received unless it is asked for, and the asking must be genuine and from the heart.

We will be linking this Christian value to stories of the Bible including the story of ‘Jesus and Zacchaeus the Tax Collector’.

Worship will include the themes: Every Day is a New Day; Wiping the slate clean; Turning over a new leaf; Forgiving others as God has forgiven you; Beginning again; When darkness turned to light – Lent and Easter.

Spring term themes also include: New Beginnings and Resolutions, Epiphany, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Mothering Sunday, Lent and Easter.

Summer Term

Courage

‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’ Joshua 1:9

Being courageous can mean different things to different people. In our school, we recognise the importance of building courage and resilience in our children to carry on when things are difficult. This could be having the courage to persevere at things and to know that mistakes can help us learn in a deeper way. It is also about enabling our children to have strategies to call upon when things become difficult in their lives or when they need to stand up for what is right or when faced with new situations.

We will be linking this Christian value to stories of the Bible including the story of Daniel in the ‘Lion’s Den’.

Worship will include the themes: Stepping out of your comfort zone; Doing the right thing not the easy thing; Facing a challenge; Overcoming fear; Encouraging others; Trusting God’s promises.

Honesty

'It is better to be honest and poor than dishonest and rich.' Proverbs 16:8

At our school we place honesty at the core of all interactions. This builds trust and positive relationships. We encourage the children to be honest with themselves, admit when they are wrong and to know when they should ask for help.

We will be linking this Christian value to stories of the Bible including the story of ‘The prodigal son’.

Worship will include the themes: Telling the whole story; Living without lies; Making the right choices; Searching for the truth; Having the courage to be honest; Seeing the truth – Trinity.

Summer term themes also include: The Trinity, Pentecost and Holy Spirit, Ascension, Change and moving on.