Collective Worship
Our culture statement says:
We are together.
An integral part of living out our culture statement is through collective worship. Collective worship is at the heartbeat of our school. The rhythm of our school day and year is centred around our time together.
Worship at St George's
Our school's vision and culture statements are integral to everything we do at St George's and collective worship is no exception.
Please see the diagram below to see how collective worship is uniquely designed at St George's.
Collective Worship at St George's is designed to link our school vision to the three ambitious intentions of the Church of England's vision for collective worship: inspirational, invitational and inclusive.
Inspirational
St George's values:
Collective worship is a time when we teach our school values, which are all rooted in the Christian story and have direct links to our vision and cultural statements. It is an opportunity for pupils to reflect on how they can be inspired to live out our vision statement through holding true to our school values. Please click here to find out more about our school values.
The Christian Story:
Collective worship is a time when we learn from the Christian story. We hear bible stories and respond to verses linked to our vision statement or the liturgical calendar. It is a time to use these as a springboard for reflection and to see how it may impact how we may live our lives.
Responsive calendar:
Collective worship is a time when we respond to what is happening in the world around us. We learn about the Christian calendar and the importance and rhythm this brings to our lives and the lives of those in modern day Britain. We also respond to world events and to nationally celebrated special days which could cause purposeful reflection on how we can live out our vision statement.
Calls to action:
All collective worships end with a call to action; a response to what we have learned and how this may impact us. The question of how what we have learned can further help us to live out our vision statement is continuously asked.
Invitational
Incumbent-led:
Our incumbent, Father Richard, is incredibly active in school-life and leads worship weekly. He invites all to learn from the Christian story and invites us to our Church for more formal times of collective worship, such as Harvest and Easter.
Invitational routines:
Routines and symbols are integral to our collective worship. Pupils are invited to participate at the level they feel comfortable.
Spiritual pathways:
Collective worship is a time when pupils are invited to access a variety of spiritual pathways. Collective worship includes times of silence, of singing, of meaningful discussion, of reflection. To find out more about our spiritual pathways provision, click here.
Music & celebration:
Collective worship is a time when pupils are invited to sing and to dance. They are invited to listen and perform music which is traditionally Anglican, as well as genres which represent our community and life in modern day Britain.
Welcoming St George's families:
Parents are invited to attend special 'open-worships', led by the incumbent.
Inclusive
Open to all:
Collective worship is open to all pupils. All pupils are invited to attend across the week, no matter their background or starting point. The right of withdrawal is respected and recognised in our worship policy.
Open language:
Careful attention is placed on the language used in collective worship. We do not presume faith or participation, but all are invited.
Class Worship time:
Class worship is a time for pupils to respond in a highly age-approprate way to the value of the month. It is a time when a more intimate discussion can take place and pupils can reflect and share ideas with their peers.
Pupil participation:
Collective worship is a time for pupils to feel included, that their participation is valued. Pupils participate in a variety of ways at St George's. Pupil teams prepare the hall space before and after worship time. The pupils lead parts of our routines like lighting the candle and leading elements of celebration worships. Our School Council and Faith Team plan and lead a variety of collective worships across the year.
Weekly Cycle
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Values | World Theme |
Class worship |
Incumbent-led |
Celebration |
Values:
Our school values are all rooted in the Christian story and have direct links to our vision and cultural statements. Each month we have a value we focus on, making links between the Christian story, world events, school-life and how we live our lives.
World Theme:
At St George's, we are responsive to what is happening in the world around us. During weekly worships, we respond to the Christian calendar, world events and have a specific focus on caring for our environment. We offer pupils the opportunity to reflect on how these events can help us live out our vision statement and live out better lives.
Class worships:
Class worship is a time for pupils to respond in a highly age-appropriate way to the value of the month. It is a time when a more intimate discussion can take place and pupils can reflect and share ideas with their peers.
Incumbent-led:
Our incumbent, Father Richard, is incredibly active in school-life and leads worship weekly. He invites all to learn from the Christian story and invites us to our Church for more formal times of collective worship, such as Harvest and Easter.
Celebration:
Fridays are a time when the school dances together and celebrates together. Pupils are awarded certificates and badges linked to our learner qualities and for living out our school vision statement. We also reflect together on how we have made these achievements and how we can be better still next week.
Radio Worship
At the beginning and end of every month, our class worships are led by pupils on our radio system. Pupils prepare reflections on our monthly value. They begin the month with an introduction that is then followed up in the proceeding collective worships. They then round the month off with a synopsis of what we have learned from the value. It is highly valued by our community and the pupils are proud to lead it.
Eucharist
In line with practice in our local parish, we offer Eucharist to all of our pupil community. This is led by our incumbent, Father Richard, who is known to the children through his weekly collective worships.
We hold three services a year when the Eucharist is offered. Two are in school, once at the beginning of the school year and once at the beginning of the new year. We also offer the Eucharist during our Easter service, which is held at St George's church. Families are well-informed about the procedures and there is a variety of ways in which pupils can participate. As with everything we do, the Eucharist is invitational and inclusive.
Services at St George's Church
We are always warmly welcomed at St George's Church. We hold two formal collective worships there each year. We visit the church for Harvest Festival and for our Easter Service. These services are planned by Father Richard, our pupil Faith Team and by our RE lead.
Our School Prayer
Our collective worships are often completed with our school prayer. Our school prayer was written by our pupil faith team. It has direct links to the calls to action in our school vision statement.
