POLICY DOCUMENT Policy Title: Collective Worship Chair of Governors: Head of : Date approved by AIB: Date Approved by LGB: June 2016 Next Review Date: Summer Term 2019 Staff Owner: Howard Parkinson Version Control: v3 June 2016 ; FINAL APPROVED; June 2016
Introduction This policy has been drawn up by the governors of the academy in consultation with the headteacher, staff and student voice. The core values of the academy, chosen by our student body, that relate specifically to this policy, state that we are working together to form relationships based on Friendship Truth Peace Such values contribute to the academy s common purpose of broadening students horizons by providing a world class education and outstanding academic and co-curricular opportunities. As an academy, we believe it is important to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all our students and to prepare them for the opportunities and experiences of adult life. Collective worship is integral to our Christian identity and sense of belonging to our local and wider, global community. Worship is at the heart of the academy s community and this policy is therefore central to the academy. This policy pays due regard to statutory requirements as directed by the 1988 Education Reform Act. Further, this policy makes provision beyond statutory requirements for collective worship, reflecting the designated faith-based character of the academy. This policy addresses the needs of students in all age groups at the academy. In addition, this policy is implemented in line with the Diocese of Peterborough s expectation that the academy should encourage an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith and promotes Christian values through the experience it offers to all its pupils. Also that collective worship in a Church School should be accessible to all present. This reflects the responsibility of the Church of England to serve the whole local community. Rationale For our academy, collective worship is a highly valued part of the school day as it is the time when we gather together to affirm what is important to us, to our academy, our community and our world. Here, the academy affirms the claims of Christianity underlying the values of the academy, and representing the faith stance of some students and staff. It provides an opportunity for students to worship God, whilst seeking to be relevant to, and inclusive, of all. It reflects our Christian tradition as well as exploring with students and staff a variety of ways in which Christians worship God. In our acts of collective worship, it is recognised that in our academy community, some members will come from families with a commitment to the Christian faith, others from families with a commitment to another faith and yet others will have no particular commitment to any tradition of faith. Therefore, the content and language of collective worship allows for different levels of response. It invites rather than coerces. Acts of worship in our academy will be predominantly and overtly Christian. However, as there are children from a variety of faiths and none, in addition to children from Christian homes, we do, from time to time, draw upon religious material from a variety of traditions when preparing collective worship. The original source of the material [story, song, text, information] is clearly stated and then set in a Christian framework and the connections with the Christian tradition are explored. For ; FINAL APPROVED; June 2016
example, in discussing the Muslim celebration of Eid ul fitr, it would be important to point out that this was a Muslim festival at the end of Ramadan and that Muslims would be celebrating the conclusion to the time of fasting. It would then be appropriate to make links with the feelings of thankfulness and to move onto the idea of Christian thanksgiving to God for all the good gifts. Aims and objectives At, collective worship offers a time and space to all: To think about and explore a relationship with God To seek to deepen and widen the experience of those of faith and encourage those of no faith so that they begin to feel for themselves something of what it means to worship To explore personal belief To gain inspiration To raise awareness through reflection of the ultimate questions of life relating to matters of faith To develop a sense of community within the academy and foster the sense of belonging to the wider community through the celebration of achievements, festivals and special occasions To strengthen the sense of belonging to a group that shares and celebrates together, as well as being thoughtful or sad together To experience a feeling of connectedness to others in the world and a sense of responsibility towards them To use celebration, silence, stillness, reflection, contemplation, meditation, prayer, song, symbols and imagery as vehicles for worship and spiritual growth To use a vocabulary of worship that encourages the whole academy community to attend, participate and lead worship To participate in marking important times, events and features of the church calendar To reaffirm, strengthen and practise key Christian values [e.g. friendship, truth, peace, forgiveness] and celebrate each unique individual member of the academy community Acts of worship will include: A daily act of collective worship through reflections in tutor time. These daily acts will take place both in tutor groups in classrooms and in year groups in the theatre prior to or as part of year group assemblies The academy recognises there is a difference between acts of collective worship and the assembly of students. The transition from assembly to worship will be marked in some suitable way [e.g. the lighting of a candle, a moment of silence and reflection] Ongoing reflection upon our Christian values through use of messages on display screens around the academy, discussions at student council and other appropriate fora Voluntary communion and other forms of worship celebrated at varying intervals throughout the academy terms, for all year groups Communion will respond to the ecumenical context of the academy. Communicant members of non-anglican denominations are invited to receive communion; noncommunicant members are invited to receive a blessing ; FINAL APPROVED; June 2016
Key Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter will be celebrated by formal worship services Facilitating collective worship Staff will be given appropriate continuing professional development to enable them to facilitate worship and reflection in tutor groups and at other times Staff will be provided with appropriate materials, resources and guidance on the delivery of worship and reflections A planned programme of visiting speakers will be invited to facilitate worship A published programme of worship themes and suggestions will be produced to support worship; in addition, worship resources and information will be hosted on the academy intranet Students will be expected and encouraged to lead acts of worship Management and responsibilities of staff for collective worship The development and management of the themes, programming, and materials for the worship programme will be the responsibility of a designated member of the Senior Leadership Team. They will work with the academy chaplain and other relevant staff and organisations in order to plan, produce and deliver this and to ensure the co-ordination of acts of collective worship. Academy Chaplain Works with the designated Senior Leadership Team members and others to co-ordinate acts of worship for the whole academy Works with the designated Senior Leadership Team member to develop relevant resources and the worship programme Plans communion and other services Organises year assembly speakers Works with Senior Leadership Team to plan, co-ordinate and deliver small and large-scale key events, celebrations and activities in relation to the worship and church calendar Assist with the continuing professional development of teachers in delivering the worship programme Maintains the academy s chapel and develop its profile as a key faith and reflection space for the academy community Provide advice on the development of worship at the academy Academy Senior Leadership Team Form Tutors Support the development of the collective worship programme and planning Contribute to acts of worship as required Provide resources for acts of worship Support and monitor the provision of acts of worship Organise and deliver daily acts of worship within their tutor groups Attend assemblies, key events, services and activities in a supportive and supervisory capacity ; FINAL APPROVED; June 2016
Governors Ensure statutory requirements are met Provide a link governor to support the Chaplain in their work Monitoring, evaluation and review Monitoring and evaluation are part of the whole-academy cycle of self-review and this will be achieved over time by consulting all stakeholders to reflect on the academy s worship programme and provision. Monitoring will be carried out variously by the Senior Leader designated with responsibility for the collective worship programme and Senior Leadership Team members Governors Other appropriate persons, such as Diocesan advisors etc. Monitoring may be undertaken in a variety of ways, including: Informal observations; checking that practice matches planning A daily or weekly reflection by a student or tutor group is recorded in a collective worship diary Observing students attentiveness and level of interest Conducting occasional formal observations of collective worship and providing feedback Seeking regular feedback from students and from student council, staff, parents, governors, visitors Observing the extent of the collective worship s influence on students attitudes and behaviours throughout the academy Holding regular discussions with colleagues and deliverers of the worship programme Gathering written comments from colleagues Evaluation and review will be undertaken by analysis of the information gathered from monitoring processes by a group comprised of Senior Leadership Team members, governors and the designated Senior Leader with collective worship remit. Formal evaluation and review of the collective worship programme will be undertaken at least annually. Review of this policy will be undertaken by the governing body and headteacher every three years. Parental right of withdrawal from collective worship At we assume parents and carers fully support attendance at and participation in collective worship. However, we respect the right of parents/carers to withdraw their child from collective worship. The academy expects that withdrawal will only be made following parental discussion with the headteacher or SLT collective worship co-ordinator, followed by written confirmation of withdrawal to the headteacher. ; FINAL APPROVED; June 2016