St Nicholas CE Primary School OUR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY GROWING AND LEARNING TOGETHER Policy Title: Acts of Worship Policy Responsibility: Head Teacher Review Body: Senior Leadership Team Date: January 2017 Review: January 2019 Introduction At St Nicholas CE Primary School belief in God is central to the life of the school and how we approach our involvement in the wider community. We strive to instil in our children, a balance between personal achievement and a sense of purpose with which Christianity challenges us. Collective worship is central to the sharing and expression of our school s Christian ethos; how we conduct our worship defines our distinctive character as a church school. Worship contributes to the areas of experience that are at the heart of the curriculum i.e. the aesthetic, moral, linguistic, social, emotional, physical and spiritual activities of our children. As a Church Aided School, Acts of Worship must be in accordance with the Trust Deed of the school and meet the requirements of the 1988 Education Reform Act. The word assembly is used throughout this document as it is a familiar term to the children who know it as a time when we gather together to worship. 1
School worship Aims In our worship we aim to: Provide the opportunity for pupils to hear about the Christian faith which sustains many in our school community Encourage them to explore their own beliefs and relate them to their everyday lives both at home and at school Offer our school community time to consider and reflect on spiritual and moral issues Help pupils to develop an awareness of the wonder of God s creation Provide time for all to explore their relationship with that creation through sharing hopes, happiness, fears, concerns, forgiveness, love, anguish and friendship Practice Through our acts of worship we endeavour to: Promote a common ethos by celebrating and affirming the values of the school community and reinforcing positive attitudes Create an appropriate atmosphere by encouraging children to enter and leave assembly in a quiet and respectful manner, thus enabling adults and children to reflect on the theme of the worship, and consider how it may relate to them on a personal level Involve the children as much as possible in preparing, speaking, singing and playing at assembly Use stories, drama, prayers, music and hymns as a focus to help develop themes Work closely with our three linked parish ministers who regularly contribute to our Thursday assemblies Planning The day s worship is carefully planned and uses themes, ideas, and stories to focus the pupils attention and imagination and bring them to the threshold of worship. It is true that children prefer a certain amount of routine and that a pattern is needed as a guide to their daily worship but worship can be expressed in a variety of ways and should be a shared activity. 2
Worship will usually be led by the Head Teacher, but it will also be shared by other members of staff, classes, the clergy, small groups of children and visitors invited to take part. Weekly schedule for Acts of Worship Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: KS1 & Reception* lead by Head teacher (or KS1 staff) KS2* lead by Deputy Head teacher (or KS2 staff member) Whole school lead by the Head teacher Whole school lead by a local church leader** Whole school lead by Headteacher or class sharing assembly *On the day when a class is not involved in Key Stage worship; that class will, at some point in the day, hold a class act of worship, alone or paired with another class. **we aim to invite the incumbents of the three local parish churches and also church leaders from other Christian traditions to lead the worship held in school. The service is held at St Nicholas Church approximately once a month. (See Appendix 1: Exemplar Thursday Worship Schedule p.5) Procedure Classes proceed to the quad walking quietly lining up in silent lines waiting to enter the hall; year 6 first (followed by year 5 and so on, until the youngest children are seated), either listening quietly to the music playing for entry, or singing a well known hymn. Teachers sit near their classes. Visitors are always welcomed into the assembly. Withdrawal from the Collective Act of Worship Parents have the right of withdrawing their children from the collective act of worship; although as a Church of England school, it is expected that on requesting entry to the school, the family are in sympathy with the Christian religion. Any children not taking part in worship go to the school office where they may read. Prayers Grace is said in class at lunchtime and prayers are said at the end of the day. Children and teachers lead these prayers as appropriate. Special Services throughout the year Eucharist (class) There is a yearly opportunity for each child and his or her family to share in the Eucharist. Each service is prepared by the class and their teacher and children take part through readings, music, dance, or drama or serving. The service is held in St Nicholas church and is led by a member of the clergy. All family members are welcome and encouraged to receive communion or go for a blessing with their child. At the end of the service, each child is given a personalised commemorative card with a reading from the Bible. The schedule for the Eucharist is; 3
November Year 6 March Year 2&3 April Year 4&5 June Year R&1 Harvest (whole school) The school harvest service is held in October at Chislehurst Methodist Church. Each class makes a contribution by way of readings, music, prayers, poetry or dance and all families are invited. The minister leads the worship and gifts are brought up by representatives of every class. These gifts are distributed to a suitable local charity. Christmas The Tree Dressing service (whole school) is held on 1 st December in the school hall. The school s Aquinas Advisory Council (AAC) members and parent representatives are invited and take an active part. The youngest and newest pupils in all classes each bring up a decoration for the tree. The Christmas story is told and at different points of the story, figures from the crib are brought to the front to form the stable scene. Carols are sung and the service ends with a prayer with the crib as a focus. Key Stage 1 and Reception perform a Nativity play in the Methodist Church. Key Stage 2 has two services based on the traditional Nine Lessons and Carols, which is held in St Nicholas Church. Each class contributes an individual item and readings are done by members of the three parish communities, children, AAC, parents, staff and children. KS1 and Reception children attend on Wednesday and all families are invited. Easter (whole school) Our Easter service is held at Christ Church with the incumbent leading the worship. The Easter story is retold through readings, poetry and music. Each key stage contributes an item as well individuals providing prayers and readings. Pentecost (whole school) Our Pentecost service is held at the Church of the Annunciation and is led by the incumbent. The story of the Church s birthday and the coming of the Holy Spirit is communicated in a memorable way (e.g. with a cake and children quoting a psalm in other languages). A traditional plain chant is sung as well as other Pentecost related hymns. St Nicholas Feast Day (whole school) This is held at St Nicholas church. The school banner is processed and a member of the clergy team leads the worship. Beginning and end of term (whole school) Services are held at St Nicholas to mark these occasions and worship is led by a member of the clergy. The Year 6 school leavers lead the worship at the end of the school year. The leavers also attend the service at Rochester Cathedral (alternate years) or Bromley Parish Church in the summer term. Collections for the school charity are taken after each major festival service and also after the KS1/Reception Nativity play. 4
Appendix 1: Exemplar Thursday Worship Schedule: ST NICHOLAS CE PRIMARY SCHOOL THURSDAY SERVICES SPRING TERM 2017 Date VENUE Taken by 5 th Jan ST NICHOLAS CHURCH TB 12 th Jan School Hall AC 19 th Jan School Hall PF 26 th Jan School Hall DM 2 nd Feb Yr 4 & 5 Eucharist at ST NICHOLAS CHURCH (Year 6 to lead rest of school) AM 9 th Feb School Hall DJ 16 th Feb Half Term - 23 rd Feb ST NICHOLAS CHURCH TB 2 nd Mar School Hall AC 9 th Mar Yr 2 & 3 Eucharist at ST NICHOLAS CHURCH AM 16 th Mar School Hall PF 23 rd Mar School Hall DM 30 th Mar Easter Service at Christ Church 2pm DJ Easter Holidays / AM = Rev d Alan Mustoe 020 8467 0196 alan.mustoe@akmustoe.co.uk TB = Tim Boniface (St Nicholas Curate) DJ = Dave Johnston 020 8467 3185 dave.j@ccchislehurst.org PF = Rev d Paul Farthing 020 8467 3606 annunciation.chislehurst@gmail.com AC = Andrew Cartwright 020 8467 0670 andi@thecartwrights.org DM = Rev d Duncan Macbean duncan.macbean@gmail.com Chislehurst CE Primary School 020 8467 2993 admin@chislehurst-cofe.bromley.sch.uk Head at Chislehurst CE Primary john.paddington@chislehurst-cofe.bromley.sch.uk 5
The academy processes personal data in accordance with the data protection principles embodied in the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). The academy complies with the requirements of the GDPR as detailed in the Trust data protection Policy. All staff are aware of the principles of data protection and will not processes personal data unless necessary. The academy safeguards the personal data it collects through the operation of the Trust s data protection policy and processes and the IT policy. In addition, the academy has taken steps to ensure that all its contracts that process data have the GDPR compliant provisions. 6