Collective Workshop and School Prayer

 

Collective Worship

 

At Barrington C of E Primary School, our Christian values are embedded across the curriculum and all aspects of school life. The children receive a variety of opportunities to enhance their spirituality throughout the school week. There are also opportunities for prayer and reflection during times of worship and throughout the school day.

 

As a Church school, Collective Worship is an important time during which we can share in celebrating God's love and learning more about our Christian faith.  Through stories, songs, drama, games and prayer, we aim to help the children to develop their spirituality, as well as becoming more understanding of the beliefs of others.

The Christian values we promote through collective worship are the foundation of our school ethos and are important for all of our pupils to learn, whether they come from a Christian background or not.  Parents do have the right to withdraw their children from Collective Worship, but we encourage the involvement of all pupils so that their sense of belonging as a member of our school family can be strengthened.

We are supported by our church communities in our Collective Worship.  Rev. Felicity regularly leads worship in school, and we also visit the Church for special celebrations, such as Harvest Festival, Christmas, Easter and to celebrate and give thanks for the end of the school year. The planning for the term’s collective worship is done in partnership with Rev. Felicity and a neighbouring church school enabling us to share ideas and expertise.

There are plenty of opportunities for parents, family and friends to join the school in Collective Worship.  We also welcome visitors for special festivals and celebrations.

 

What our children like about Collective Worship:

  • listening to stories (from the Bible)
  • using signs to say the school prayer
  • talking through weekly themes
  • quiet time
  • going to church
  • singing and music
  • answering questions
  • watching plays
  • worship led by other children
  • use of video clips and music
  • use of puppets
  • Lighting the candles
  • Choosing what to pray about
  • Talking and joining in – being asked for my ideas
  • Having an assembly team helping Mrs Davies each week
  • Pupils playing the piano and other musical instruments

(taken from Pupil Evaluations of Collective Worship)

Our Collective Worship Timetable:

 

Monday        Choral/Musical Worship (led by Mrs McGregor – an opportunity to sing and reflect on the words in the hymns we have chosen and what they mean) 

Tuesday        Whole School (Led by Rev. Felicity)

Wednesday   Whole School (Led by the head and child volunteers)

Thursday      Class based Worship (an opportunity to explore the themes and questions from the week at an age appropriate level)

Friday           Celebration Worship (parents invited every other week)

 

 
Our School Prayer

This is our school,
Let peace dwell here,
Let the room be full of contentment,
Let love abide here;
Love of God,
Love of one another
And love of life itself.
And let us remember
That so many hands build a house
So many hearts build a school.

Amen

 
Themes for Collective Workshop
 
For half of each term we take a different theme as a  focus for collective worship. For one half of every term we chose a Christian value as the focus and think about that value in narratives from the bible and in the life of the school to develop the children’s understanding of Christian values in action. The other half of each term focuses on a theme that is topical for the time of year.
 
The school policy for spiritual development and collective worship can be found on the policies page of this website.
 
Parents may withdraw their children from Religious Education lessons and collective worship by written request to the Headteacher. RE is intended to be suitable for all our pupils. It benefits pupils by increasing their understanding and awareness of other people and their ability to respect the rights of others even where they disagree with their views. It contributes to pupils' spiritual, moral and ethical development. It is designed to be of educational worth to all pupils from any or no religious background. 
 
The governing body includes three ‘Foundation’ Governors, appointed by the Ely Diocesan Board of Education.