Collective Worship Policy – Feb 2024
Planning 
The following documents are helpful guides for expressing your faith with Worship at Home.
In- school Collective Worship:
All children take part in a daily act of Collective Worship. As a church school we follow a Christian calendar of festivals but include festivals from other World Faiths e.g. Diwali – Hindu, Ramadan – Islam, Wesak – Buddhism and national themes such as Anti-Bullying Week and the Coronation.
Our act of Worship is an important part of the day and the content reflects the schools Christian Values whilst acknowledging the wider world. Time is spent listening, singing, praying and reflecting. All members of the teaching staff lead Collective Worship. It is planned on a value from Values for Life/ Roots and Fruits (Imaginor).
Within Collective Worship the children are given the opportunity to reflect not only on the subject matter within the Collective Worship but also on current events throughout the world. This provides a safe environment for the children to consider and empathize with people and communities who are less fortunate than themselves, or who have suffered in unforeseeable events.
Some of the children are selected to be on a small worship team where they plan and deliver a collective worship on the current value for life. This will include songs, prayers, stories and other activities chosen by the worship team.
A weekly prayer leader from Class 1 and Class 2 is chosen to lead the daily prayers. TSP (Thank you, Sorry, Please) prayers are used as a template for child-led prayers.
A worship table/ board in the hall reflects the current value for life with prompts / questions and objects.
External visitors for Collective Worship:
Representatives from the local church are invited to take part or lead our Worships. Parents/carers and members of the wider community are also invited to attend Worships every term. The children themselves requested that they present samples of their work and take a greater leadership role as part of these Worships, which are hosted in St Giles Church. To maintain the link between the school and church, the Parish Vicar is invited to attend these Celebration Worships to take an active role. Our Foundation Governors, as the representatives from the Diocese, are also invited.
Parents/Carers wishing their child/children to be withdrawn from all religious education and Collective Worship should contact the Headteacher.
Once a term we welcome M.A.S.T. (Matlock Area Schools Trust), who present Bible Stories to the children using puppetry. Our Benefice Vicar visit will take services either in school or in the church.
