St Paul's Whitechapel CE Primary School

Collective Worship Policy

Aim

The aim of the collective worship policy is to provide opportunities for pupils to:

  • worship God
  • reflect on values that are of a broadly Christian nature and on their own beliefs
  • develop a community spirit, a common ethos and shared values
  • consider spiritual and moral issues
  • respond to the worship offered

Statutory Duty of School

All maintained schools provide daily collective worship for registered pupils (apart from those who have beenwithdrawn by their parents). This is usually provided within a daily assembly.

The Headteacher is responsible (under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998) for arranging the daily collective worship after consulting with the governing body. Daily collective worship must be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character. The precise nature will depend on the family background, ages and abilities of the pupils.

Collective worship in foundation schools with a religious character and voluntary schools will be in accordance with the school's trust deed. Where provision is not made by a trust deed, the worship should be in accordance with the principles and practices of the religion or denomination specified for the school.
Implementation

Collective worship will:

  • be acceptable to the whole community, staff and pupils
  • be sensitive to the diversity of pupils' faith backgrounds
  • involve the pupils, e.g. in drama/ role play, leading prayers or readings

Each act of collective worship will include a variety of elements at different timessuch asone or more of the following:

  • Thinking time, with soft music, as children enter and leave the hall.
  • Candle lit to signify God's presence with us
  • The singing of hymns or praise songs
  • Hearing a talk, a story, a poem or a short passage from sacred scriptures

All acts of collective worship will finish with a prayer.

The whole school visits the parish church for collective worship twice a term, on appropriate occasions.

Organisation

There is a daily act of worship. Children sit in a horseshoe shape in class groups, boys and girls mixed. The following format is currently used:

Monday– Rector's Assembly. Staff may be present.

Tuesday –Singing assembly – praise songs.

Wednesday - Separate Infant/ Early Years and Junior Assemblies. These feature Old Testament stories in the Autumn Term, New Testament stories in the Spring Term and stories with a moral message in the Summer Term.

Thursday - Class Assembly. Can be exposition of work, drama, songs. Should include a prayer written by the children. When no class assembly there will be an assembly with a PSHE/ SEAL theme.

Friday -Celebration Assembly. Award of certificates, etc.with prayers chosen or written by children.

St Paul's Whitechapel CE Primary School - Collective Worship Policy

Withdrawal rights

Parents have a legal right to withdraw their children from attendance at collective worship.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Review

The school will review this policy every three years and assess its implementation and effectiveness. The policy will be promoted and implemented throughout the school.

File name / Worship Policy
Date of latest revision / May 2012
Date Ratified by Governors / 16th May 2012
Date of Review / Summer 2015