Infinity Academies Trust
Collective Worship
Collective Worship is central to our school day and to the development of our school as a family. It offers adults and children the opportunity to flourish by encouraging reflection, prayer and time to question.
Collective worship within our school family gives pupils and school staff the opportunity to:
- Engage in an act of community.
- Express praise and thanksgiving to God.
- Be still and reflect.
- Explore the big questions of life and respond to national events.
- Foster respect and deepen spiritual awareness.
- Reflect on the character of God and on the teachings of Christ.
- Affirm Christian values and attitudes.
- Share each other's joys and challenges.
- Celebrate special times in the Christian calendar.
Collective Worship Themes (2 year cycle)
Picture News Coverage
Picture News Class Collective Worship
Although Christian in its foundations, we want every member of our family to feel welcomed and included in Collective Worship, therefore, as a community we agree to:
- Begin in a reverential way (silence, a song, reflective images on show)
- Have a visual and audio stimulus for the children to arrive into the hall which sets a worshipful, engaging, prayerful, collective, reflective tone
- Begin with the CW Leader lighting the candle with the usual acclamation, “Jesus is the light of the world”, so that we know Jesus is with us and worship can begin
- Our school family respond with, "Let your light shine!"
- Have a visual resource that children can interact with on the altar
- Include Choral Praise (worship through song)
- Follow this structure: Introduction – Text (Bible or story) - Development – Reflection/ Prayer
- End with the candle being blown out and a parting message which links to the worship shared, ie: “We go out in …”
- Have children as active participants
- Include opportunities for prayer/ reflection to be delivered by children in a range of different languages
- Make reference/ links to other world religions and days of National/ International significance where appropriate
- Be responsive/ sensitive to world events as appropriate
Seasons of the Church School Year
During Collective Worship a coloured cloth, appropriate to the season of the church year is used to create a sacred space for worship. This provides a useful guide as to which colour is used and when.
In Church of England schools, Collective Worship reflects the traditions of the Church of England and develops learners' understanding of Anglican traditions and practice.
At St Nicholas CE Primary Academy, we work with Father John (from St Nicholas Church, Skirbeck) and other church leaders from across our community to plan and deliver acts of worship that are invitational, reflective and engaging.
We welcome a range of ecumenical friends to lead Collective Worship and over the course of each week, our school family is able to enjoy 'food for thought' from people of different faiths; of the Christian faith and from those of no faith. Every time we join together as a family, it is a special time of unity during which each and every member of the school is able to make personal connections with what they are presented: every member of the school is valued as intrinsically unique and special.
Collective Worship at St Nicholas CE Primary Academy, whilst remaining wholly inclusive, aims to nourish Christians in their faith; encourage those of other faiths and challenge those of no faith.
There is plenty of flexibility in the provision of Collective Worship to enable all pupils to benefit without compromising their beliefs.
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