Collective Worship

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God. It is He, who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.”

Psalm 100: 1:4 of the Bible 

Every day, our school community comes together for Collective Worship. As a Church of England and Methodist school, our Collective Worship is centred on Christianity and our core Christian Values:

Koinonia

Love

Compassion

Wisdom

Forgiveness

Service

Our Collective Worship is highly valued and a specified time in the school day where the whole school community gathers together to honour God. It provides an opportunity for our school community to arrive in worship with the right attitude, engage with our own spirituality and Biblical teachings and leave feeling refreshed and inspired.

For us, worship is the ‘heartbeat’ of the school day. It is a time when all can come together to be still and find quietness to reflect on our own spirituality, values and place in the world.

Collective Worship is inclusive in that it welcomes those of Christian faith, other faiths or none. It recognises the collectivity of all participants, making no assumption that all have the same beliefs and values.

Collective worship gives the whole school community the opportunity to:

• Engage in an act of community
• Express praise and thanksgiving to God
• Reflect on the character of God and on the teachings of Christ through Biblical texts
• Affirm Christian values and attitudes
• Celebrate special times in the Christian calendar
• Experience and respond to Anglican traditions and practices
• Explore the big questions of life and respond to national events
• Foster respect and deepen spiritual awareness
• Be still and reflect
• Share each other’s joys and challenges

Every day, a different member of staff or clergy leads our collective worship:

Worship usually follows the following pattern:

• Monday: We meet together as a whole school community. This is led by the Headteacher or in her absence, another member of the Leadership Team. 
• Tuesday: Our class teachers lead class worship, introducing the theme for the week through bible stories and prayer but in a more specifically class and age-related way.
• Wednesday: The whole school joins together once again for Choral/ Praise and Reflection Worship. As an Anglican and Methodist school, worship through singing is very important to us and the weekly theme is explored through hymns and prayer. This is led by Music Leader and Senior Leaders. 
• Thursday: We gather as a whole school again. During this time, we have Reverend Helen Hollands or Reverend Cathie Aldis-Saunders or another visiting speaker join us from our local Methodist and Anglican churches. 
• Friday: We celebrate all that has happened during the week as a whole school. We sing Happy Birthday, share school news and certificates are awarded for learning, friendship and for demonstrating our Christian Values.

During all of our daily collective worship sessions, we say together our school prayer and also reflect on John Wesley's Rule. Our children are regularly involved in leading different aspects of our worship including lighting the candle, singing, prayer and opportunities for quiet reflection.

We are mindful of the variation in personal spiritual styles and provide a range of creative opportunities including music, silence, symbolism, drama and use of IT.

We also celebrate the major Christian festivals throughout the year. Parents are often invited to join us, either at school with our local Methodist minister or at our local Church of England Parish Church, St Mary’s at Great Chart. These include the Christmas, Easter and Harvest services.

School Prayer
Our school prayer reflects our Christian values and John Wesley’s rule and is said in Collective Worship. It was written in discussion with children, staff and governors. It is also displayed around the school and children are encouraged to live out the school prayer in all of their interactions.
 
Lord,
May our school be filled with love and friendship.
Let compassion thrive here.
Please guide us with your wisdom and let learning fill our days.
Help us to take every opportunity to serve others.
Help us to be forgiving when we feel wronged.
Be our guide and keep us safe in all that we do.
Lord, make our school a welcoming family and your home too.
Amen
 
Withdrawal from Collective Worship
While The John Wesley CEM Primary School is a Church of England school, we are committed to respecting individual beliefs. Upon entrance to the school, parents are made aware of the Christian basis of our teaching. If parents wish to withdraw their child from Collective Worship then please consult the Headteacher.
 
We celebrate the cultural diversity of all the members of our school and have a cohesive community. Whilst Collective Worship will always reflect the Christian ethos of our school, we respect and acknowledge the variety of religious observances which are represented in our school and within the wider community. We acknowledge too that there are those of no faith who choose to be part of our school community.
 
Further information may be found in our Collective Worship Policy.