Collective Worship and Religious Education are the heartbeat of school life supporting and reinforcing the inclusive Christian ethos we seek to create.
Aims of Collective Worship
Our aims of Collective Worship, applying equally to children and adults, are:
- To ensure that our vision and ethos are the centre of school life having a real and meaningful impact on all our lives;
- To be inclusive, invitational and inspiring for all;
- To enable adults and children to develop spiritually both as individuals and as part of the school community;
- To make children and adults aware that they are wonderfully and uniquely made in the image of God and to celebrate these differences;
- To enable children and adults to understand the importance of loving and valuing themselves for who they are;
- Provide opportunities to reflect upon the values explored and how they are lived out in practice through windows (looking out at others), mirrors (looking in at themselves) and doors (looking forwards to future actions);
- To explore the teachings of Jesus and the Bible and think about how they are relevant to our lives today;
- To be consistent with the faith and tradition of the Anglican Church by following the liturgical year and being distinctly Christian in line with the Trust Deed of the school;
- To help children and adults to develop respect and understanding of Anglican and other Christian traditions in the UK and around the word;
- To provide children and adults with regular opportunities for stillness, reflection, prayer and discussion, without compulsion;
- To help children and adults develop respect and sensitivity to the beliefs and values of others;
- To promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development;
- To create a sense of belonging to the school family;
- To challenge children and adults with opportunities to put what they have learnt into action.
Organisation
Collective Worship is held at the end of each school day except for a Monday where the school meets to begin the week together.
As well as following the key festivals and events of the liturgical year each half term has a specific focus. This is a core value. Over each two year cycle the following values are covered:
| Year | Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| A | Thankfulness | Trust | Perseverance | Justice | Friendship | Respect |
| B | Generosity | Compassion | Courage | Forgiveness | Service | Truthfulness |
Each half term starts with a poem exploring the different elements of the value. These are explored in detail in whole school and class worship for the rest of the half term. This enables children to develop a deep understanding of the value and how it is seen in real life situations.
Worship is organised as follows:
Collective Worship follows the same format:
- Lighting of the candles with the words:
We light the first candle for God the Father in Heaven;
We light the second candle for God as Jesus; a human being on earth;
We light the third candle for the Holy Spirit; the power of God acting in the world today;
- Sharing of the words of welcome and the Bible verse being explored;
- Learning – this can be a story, poem, picture to look at or drama;
- Reflection – this can be a poem, quiet time, questions and speaking with a partner;
- Response – this includes a prayer followed by the Lord’s Prayer (participation is invitational);
- Challenge – children are invited to put what they have learnt into action during the week. On occasion children are invited to response with an activity or in writing;
Children will enter and leave to appropriate worship music.
The Collective Worship Lead is responsible for the yearly overview and themes and sharing it with staff as well as the day to day organisation of Collective Worship, resource provision and meeting any identified training needs.
The Collective Worship Lead is also responsible for working with the Worship Team.
Hymn Practice
Hymn Practice should encourage positive feelings of thankfulness, joy and delight at being alive in the modern world through singing.
Hymn Practice is split into three groups: Early Years and Key Stage 1, Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2. This enables children to learn songs that are challenging and age appropriate. It is led by Mrs. Milner, specialist Music teacher.
Songs are a mixture of modern worship music, traditional and classical. This may include songs in other languages such as French, German and Latin as well as songs that the school has deemed are part of the cultural capital of the United Kingdom.
Worship Team
Year 6 children are invited to join Worship Team if they would like to do so.
Worship Team supports the delivery of Collective Worship by leading different elements such as words of welcome, prayers and reflection. They also reinforce key learning through movement and drama.
Once a term Worship Team plan and lead Collective Worship independently.
Early Years
While there is no statutory requirement for Nursery children to participate in Collective Worship the children in Early Years follow the Collective Worship programme ‘Jack in the Box – Big Bible Story’.
This follows the same format for each act of Collective Worship:
- Welcome – hello time including singing the first action song;
- Learn – story time;
- Reflect – thinking time;
- Respond – a time to think about what has been learnt and the opportunity to join in with a short prayer if children wish to do so.
Equal Opportunities
We endeavour to ensure that Collective Worship offers equal opportunities to all as set out in the school’s Equalities Policy. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from any act of worship within the school and are able to do so in writing to the Headteacher.
Monitoring and Review
Children are given the opportunity to reflect upon Collective Worship in their classes at the end of each half term and can complete a booklet exploring the theme in terms of windows (looking out at others), mirrors (looking inward to themselves) and door (looking forwards to the future).
Reflection activities are also provided as part of the weekly challenges.
Written feedback is provided by Key Stage 2 at the end of each Monday Worship in the Worship Book.
The school has a named Academy Committee member responsible for monitoring our foundation as a Church of England school: Mrs. Lynda Henderson.
The Collective Worship Lead meets with Mrs. Henderson as part of the review of Collective Worship.
Withdrawal
In this school there are children whose families are members of another faith, or who hold a non-religious world view. Part of the distinctively Christian nature of Church of England Schools is that they should be as hospitable and inclusive to all in the community they serve. As Collective Worship occupies such a central place in the life of the Church school, this is made clear on induction, and it is hoped that parents will be making a specific choice of this school knowing that the distinctive ethos will determine a Christian tradition within collective worship.
Parental right to withdraw a child from Collective Worship, if desired, as established by the 1944 Education Act was re-enacted in the 1988 Education Act and is therefore unaffected.
Should a parent wish to withdraw a learner from Collective Worship, a formal request should be made to the Headteacher, who will then invite the parent to the school to discuss the matter further, and explain the possible arrangements that can be made to accommodate the learner. It would be helpful to establish:
- The elements of worship in which the parent would object to the child taking part;
- The other aspects of school life that are impacted by the Christian foundation of the school such as prayer and reflective areas;
- The practical implications of withdrawal;
- Whether the parent will require any advanced notice of such worship, and if so, how much.
Where parents have withdrawn their children from collective worship and request religious worship according to their particular faith or denomination, the Academy Committee and Headteacher will seek to respond positively to such requests providing:
- Such arrangements can be made at no additional cost to the school;
- That the alternative provision would be consistent with the overall purposes of the school curriculum as set out in the Education Acts.
If the Parent asks that a pupil should be wholly or partly excused from attending any religious worship at the school, then the school must comply.
(This means that a parent may, for example, request their child does not take part in a carol service when otherwise the child takes part in daily collective worship.)
The school believes strongly that its mission is to provide education for learners of the Christian faith, other faiths and no faith and that all are welcome.
Links to Religious Education
Collective Worship at Heddon-on-the-Wall St. Andrew’s is at the centre of the whole curriculum and together with Religious Education does, we believe, support and enhance those educational principles enshrined in the 1988 Education Act, which have our total support as an educational establishment of this community, namely the provision of a “balanced and broadly based curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral and cultural… development of pupils.” at the school. (ERA 1988 Section 1-2)
Legal Requirements
The 1988 Education Reform Act requires:
‘all pupils to ‘take part in a daily act of collective worship’ (ERA Sections 6 (1)), other than those in a nursery class or a nursery school.
Collective worship in a Church of England School must be in accordance with the tenets and practices of the Church of England. In other words the law on collective worship that applies in a community school, “that it should be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character”, is not relevant.
Worship in this school should be distinctly Christian and reflect Anglican traditions. Recognising its historic foundation, the School will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church of England and in partnership with the Church at parish and Diocesan level.
The Academy Committee have the responsibility for ensuring that the school meets the requirements for worship detailed in the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) Evaluation Document. They are also tasked with monitoring and evaluating the impact of worship on the school community in consultation with the Headteacher.