Collective worship is a highly valued and set apart time in the school day and week, where the whole school community can gather together in a time that is honoring and worthy to God. Collective worship in our schools is clearly based on the traditions of the Christian Church, however, it is also a shared activity that allows for a variety of responses, providing an opportunity for those of any religious faith or none to focus and reflect on stimuli which allow the human spirit to respond with integrity. Our schools are committed to respect the religious communities, or non-religious backgrounds, from which pupils and staff come. We want our times of worship to be an oasis, a place of spiritual refreshment for all. School acts of worship aim to:
For the CofE's new Statement of Entitlement and Expectation for Collective Worship, May 2021: Statement of Entitlement and Entitlement for CW | Weblink For the Diocesan Collective Worship policy, approved by the Diocesan Board of Education, February 2020: Collective Worship policy | Weblink Collective Worship planningGemma has put together some ideas for CW planning based on values, please see below (PDF except where stated):
There are also seasonal CW planning ideas: Harvest Festival | PDF Previous planning for 2020-2021 Collective Worship Planning Summer 2 2021: ‘Accept one another as Christ accepted you.’ | PDF Collective Worship Planning Summer 1 2021: Encountering the risen Jesus | PDF Collective Worship Planning Spring 2 2021: Jesus in the Wilderness | PDF Collective Worship Planning Spring 1 2021: Hope, Courage and Endurance | PDF As part of the collective worship plans for the first part of the Spring term, The Rt Revd Dr Mike Harrison, Suffragan Bishop of Dunwich kindly contributed a video on what endurance means to a Christian. Collective Worship training We run a termly Basics of Collective Worship course which includes details of the statutory requirements. We also run half-day courses on aspects of worship which are frequently addressed in SIAMS reports, e.g. use of prayer and reflection. We offer a collective worship conference every two-three years which deals with current recommendations on good practice and examples from local schools. For details of all our courses, please see our: Training and events page | Weblink Collective Worship resourcesFor details of our CW resources including Flippin' Praise, please see our: CW Resources page | Weblink For further informationPlease contact Gemma Taylor regarding training and collective worship. |