Collective Worship
At Urchfont Church of England Primary School, Collective Worship is at the heart of our daily life together. It is a special time when our school community gathers to reflect, pray, sing, celebrate and explore our shared Christian vision.
Our vision is rooted in our school Bible verse: “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
Through worship, children encounter Bible stories and Christian teaching and explore our values of:
Respect • Compassion • Perseverance • Joy • Wisdom • Courage
We encourage children to think about what these values mean for the way they live, learn, make choices and care for others.
Collective Worship is distinctly Christian while being welcoming and accessible to our whole school community. Children are encouraged to listen, reflect, question and respond in ways that are meaningful to them, with the beliefs and experiences of every member of our school family treated with dignity and respect.
Daily Worship
Collective Worship takes place every school day, through a combination of whole-school, key-stage and class worship.
Worship may be led by:
- the Head Teacher
- class teachers
- children, including our Worship Warriors
- Rev Richard Curtis or other members of our local church community
- our Open the Book team
Our worship follows a familiar pattern which helps children recognise it as a special part of the school day. It includes Bible readings or Christian teaching, prayer, singing and music, and time for stillness and reflection.
As a Church of England school, children also become familiar with elements of Anglican worship, including The Lord's Prayer, traditional responses, the lighting of candles and the seasons and festivals of the Church year.
Singing Worship
One of our weekly acts of Collective Worship has a particular focus on singing and music.
Singing Worship is not simply a hymn practice. Children explore the meaning of the words they sing and experience a range of traditional hymns and Christian worship songs. Music provides opportunities for praise and celebration as well as moments of quiet reflection.
Open the Book
We are fortunate to welcome our Open the Book team into school regularly.
Drawn from our local church community, the team brings Bible stories to life through engaging storytelling and presentation, giving children another way to encounter and understand the Christian story.
Child-Led Worship
Children play an active role in the worshipping life of our school.
Our Year 6 Worship Warriors have a particular responsibility for helping to prepare and lead worship. They help prepare the worship space, support music and ICT and contribute to the opening and closing of worship.
Children across the school also have opportunities to contribute through readings, prayers, music, drama and reflection. As they grow in confidence, we encourage them to take increasing responsibility for worship and to share their own ideas.
Prayer and Reflection
Prayer and reflection are an important part of life at Urchfont and provide children with moments of stillness during a busy school day.
Children experience different forms of Christian prayer, including praise, thanksgiving and prayers for others, alongside opportunities for quiet personal reflection.
Across the school day, this includes:
- prayer and reflection during Collective Worship
- our School Prayer and The Lord's Prayer
- prayer before lunch
- a thoughtful verse at the end of the school day
- opportunities for stillness and personal reflection
Children are invited to participate respectfully but are never required to express a belief they do not hold.
Celebration Worship
At the end of each term, we hold a whole-school Celebration Assembly, when parents and carers are invited to join us in recognising the children's achievements.
We celebrate both academic and personal successes and recognise the many different gifts and contributions children bring to our school community.
Our Christian value for the term provides a particular focus, allowing us to celebrate children who have demonstrated our values through their actions and choices.
Star of the week also gives us chance as a school community to celebrate how a child has shone brightly during the week.
Worship in Our Church and Community
We greatly value our close relationship with St Michael's and All Angels Church and the wider Christian community.
Throughout the year, the whole school worships together in our village church to mark significant moments in the Christian calendar, including:
- Harvest
- Christmas Christingle
- Easter
- Year 6 Leavers' Service
We also hold special services in school, including our Remembrance Service in November and Christmas Nativity in December.
Our Year 6 children have opportunities to attend community Holy Communion services at St Michael's and All Angels, where they can take an active role through readings, prayers and assisting during the service.
Parents, carers, governors and members of our village community are warmly invited to join us for our special services and celebrations.
Growing Spiritually
Collective Worship gives children time and space to consider some of life's bigger questions through the lens of Windows, Mirrors and Doors and to develop their sense of awe, wonder and curiosity.
Through stories, music, silence, questions and reflection, children are encouraged to think about meaning, purpose, hope and the world around them. Importantly, we encourage them to consider how what they encounter in worship might influence their relationships, choices and actions.
In this way, Collective Worship helps our Christian vision and values become something that children live, rather than simply something they learn about.
Worship for Everyone
Collective Worship is for our whole school community.
We recognise that our children and families have different experiences and may hold different religious or non-religious beliefs. While the Christian character of our worship is clear, every child's beliefs and views are respected.
Children are invited to listen, reflect, question and respond, and appropriate adaptations are made to enable children with SEND to participate meaningfully.
Listening to Our Children
Children's views help us to develop and improve Collective Worship.
We listen to their ideas, feedback and reflections and give them increasing opportunities to contribute to and lead worship. Staff, governors and members of our church community help us evaluate the quality and impact of worship.
This helps us ensure that Collective Worship continues to be meaningful, engaging and relevant to the children of Urchfont.
Our Collective Worship Policy
Our Collective Worship Policy provides further information about the way worship is planned, led and evaluated at Urchfont Church of England Primary School.
It also explains our approach to inclusion and the parental right of withdrawal from Collective Worship.
The School Prayer
We light this candle,
For this is our special time
To praise and thank the Lord,
To share our love and our feelings,
For we are His children,
Amen
You can read our full Collective Worship Policy below.