Collective Worship
At St Mary’s we make a clear distinction with all members of the school community between ‘Worship’ and ‘Assembly’. Assembly refers to a general gathering and we use assemblies for special events (e.g. World Book Day) or to raise awareness. Our Worship is when we gather as a school community but with a distinct focus on shared values and reflection. Our Worship at St Mary’s is Christian in character.
At St Mary’s, Collective Worship is central to the life of school and is the main platform for exploring the school’s vision. It is well planned and of high quality so that the whole school community is engaged on a journey of discovery, exploring the teachings of Jesus and the Bible.
Collective worship aims to be inspirational, invitational and inclusive and will lead people to a threshold where they can witness worship and join in, if they wish.
Through Collective Worship, pupils will be offered a space and a place for the telling of the Christian story. They will be offered an understanding of worship through being invited to participate in or observe prayer, reading and reflection on the Bible, liturgy, sacrament and experience of the musical and other imaginative riches of Christianity. Opportunities to reflect on the beauty, joy and pain of the world will be given. Pupils will be given time to consider their responsibilities to others and to grow in love and service. Time will be given for celebration, both for the accomplishments of school members and to mark the seasonal festivals of the Christian (and other faiths) calendar. Pupils will be offered time to be able to contemplate and develop spiritually.
At St Mary’s Collective worship takes many different forms:
- Whole school clergy worship (Monday)
- Class worship (Tuesday)
- Whole school SLT worship (Wednesday)
- Singing worship (Thursday)
- Celebration worship (Friday)
Collective Worship takes place daily at the start of each day as we believe it needs to be given value and importance. It can set a positive and grateful mindset, and support both staff and pupils to find a sense of purpose and direction for the day ahead. It brings our school community together, in a positive way, to consider how we might take forward what we have heard or learnt in Worship for the rest of the day.
As a school, we have adopted the GERS model to support planning and delivery of Collective Worship. This model has been shared with staff, as well as pupils, for the purposes of planning their Class Worship.
Gathering:
This section focuses on welcoming everyone and creating a space for worship, often through music, actions, symbols, or words.
Engaging:
Here, the focus shifts to exploring the theme or message of the worship, which can involve reading scripture, sharing a story, or engaging in a discussion.
Responding:
This is where individuals and the community are invited to respond to the message of worship, which can be through prayer, song, or other forms of expression.
Sending:
The final stage involves sending everyone out with a sense of purpose and a call to action, often with a blessing or a final prayer.
GERS Model
Planning of Collective Worship
School has a two-year plan for Collective Worship which maps out half-termly themes, special weeks and days, Christian festivals and Saints days that will be covered in our Collective Worship.
Each half-term, a detailed plan, is also created which clearly maps out themes for the week, corresponding bible references and big questions. This is informed by the views of the school’s Worship Council, key events and celebrations in the liturgical calendar and other national events the school may wish to include and support.
Pupil Voice
‘I think Worship is good because I like learning about Jesus and I also like doing prayers’ - Humphrey Y2
‘Worship is good because you learn new things, watch videos and it teaches us lessons. It teaches us how to look after the world, how to treat the world and how to behave.’ - Ruby, Summer, Matilda Y6
‘I like it because it’s interactive.’ - Bodhi Y6
‘Sometimes I just sit and listen to the words of the songs rather than join in because I am Muslim. Some of the things we learn that Christians believe are the same as Muslims like don’t fight, take care of others. I like Celebration Worship because you might be Star of the Week. You have to listen and don’t be rude or silly and help people when they’re hurt then you might get Star of the Week.’ - Ayesha Y3, Sara Y6
