St. Mary Magdalene s R.C. Primary School, Burnley.

St. Mary Magdalene s R.C. Primary School, Burnley. Prayer & Worship Policy 2017 School Mission Statement: St. Mary Magdalene s is a Roman Catholic School. Within our community, we seek to live within the Catholic faith as a family. Each child is a gift valued as a unique individual made in the image of God the father, Son and Holy Spirit. We seek to share our ethos through prayer, forgiveness, loving, sharing and caring. In all aspects of life, we follow the teachings of Jesus and, through prayer, we are guided by asking ourselves What Would Jesus Do? Love one another as I have loved you POLICY INTRODUCTION This policy outlines the Prayer and Worship at St Mary Magdalene RC Primary School. Prayer, worship and liturgical celebration are central to the religious life of our school and form an integral part of each school day. Prayer and Worship are central to our Children being great Witnesses to God s word. We will endeavour to foster and deepen our pupils personal relationship with God Our Father daily in prayer. Through Prayer we become aware of God s presence in our lives and begin to realise His love for us. The policy has been drawn up as result of staff discussion and has full agreement of the Governing Body. The implementation of this policy is the responsibility of all the teaching staff. The legal requirement (Section 70 of the 1988 Education Act) is that subject to the parental right of exclusion or other special arrangement, each pupil in attendance at a community, foundation or voluntary school shall on each school day take part in an act of collective worship. This can take place at any time during the school day and can be either a single St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 1 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

act or worship for all pupils, or separate acts of worship for pupils in different age groups or in different school groups. Simply holding an assembly that includes a prayer said either by the teacher or everyone present does not fulfil this requirement. However, in a Catholic school it is more than just a legal requirement. It is an integral part of school life, which contributes to its distinctiveness. The 5 Ws Framework The 5w s are used to review, evaluate and celebrate our work in St Mary Magdalene s Roman Catholic Primary School. We WELCOME all who come into this school in Jesus name St Mary Magdalene s prides itself on the warm, family atmosphere that exists in our school. God has created the world and everything in it, including everybody in our school and diversity and difference is respected, celebrated and valued. Everyone is welcomed and each day begins in prayer as we invite Our Lord to be with us on our journey through the day. We will place the WORD of God in our hearts, our lives and our learning. Our school is committed to placing Christ at the centre of all that we do because he is always with us as our special teacher. Through his words and deeds he teaches us how much God loves us and how we can love God. We listen carefully to the Word of God and learn from Him. His Word will inspire, comfort and guide us in our daily lives and in all aspects of our learning. We will always treat the Word of God with the great respect it deserves. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1) We WORSHIP God in prayer, in action and in the way we live our lives Everything that we do in school is a celebration of God's creation, every subject, every activity, is to the greater glory of God who gave us everything. Worship takes many forms at St Mary Magdalene s and children s faith development is deepened by appropriate prayer and worship opportunities. We have regular whole school Masses to celebrate key liturgical events such as Lent, Easter, Advent and Christmas as well as at the start and end of the academic year. In addition to this each class has an annual class Mass or liturgy which is celebrated with the parish priest Fr Haworth. Through worship, all are led to reflect, meditate and pray in a way that nurtures the spirituality of the school community. In worship the Word of God is celebrated and given reverence. We will make the WELFARE of all in our school, our community and in God s world our priority and try to make their lives better. St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 2 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

Everyone is important to God and Jesus teaches us that we should especially look after those who are vulnerable or in trouble. Our school knows that Jesus calls us to live life to the full and we will do our very best to make this a reality for everyone in our school, parish, country and world family. Anything that improves the lives of others will be embraced by us all at St Mary Magdalene s. Like Jesus, we aim to Love one another as I have loved you. We will WITNESS to Jesus in the way we live our lives, how we behave and how we treat each other. We are all builders of the Kingdom of God and all have an important part to play in creating a community of service and stewardship for ourselves and others. We will show the Gospel values of forgiveness, justice, peace and love in action and live a life that helps other people know Jesus. Policy prepared by the Religious Education Co-ordinator Mrs Samantha Hargreaves and Mrs J Sherburn; Learning Mentor. Religious Education Co-ordinator: Mrs Samantha Hargreaves. Religious Education Governor: Father Haworth. Dated: June 2017 Governor Ratification: Date: Signed: Name: To be reviewed September 2017 St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 3 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

The Aims of Collective Worship The daily act of worship aims to provide opportunity for all pupils and staff. Aims To contemplate something of the mystery of God and to give honour, praise and thanks to Him To reflect on spiritual and moral issues To explore their own beliefs To respond to and celebrate life To experience a sense of belonging and develop community spirit To develop a common ethos and shared values To develop the skills of: o Reverence o Contemplation o Reflection o Interpretation o Empathy o Meditation To enrich religious experience To grow in liturgical understanding To reinforce prayers which are part of the Catholic tradition To reinforce positive attitudes To develop a sense of awe, wonder and inspiration in the person of Christ To communicate to children the nearness and presence of God. To deepen the spiritual and moral experience of each child and enable teachers and children to grow spiritually together. To integrate pupils experience of prayer and worship with their learning across the whole curriculum. Principles Keep it short Make it regular Keep it simple Provide variety Get children involved A Liturgical Structure Gather - how we come together, the setting, the environment Listen - the Word of God is proclaimed Response - the response to the Word leads into a time of prayerful reflection which may be accompanied by a symbolic action Going Forth - giving the children something to hold on to from the experience of the liturgy that they can take into their daily lives Good Practice Where there is evidence of the planning and evaluation of provision Where there is a clear theme and message When opportunity is taken through the choice of themes for the pupils to become familiar with the traditions, customs and practice of the seasons and feasts of the St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 4 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

Church and where topics relevant to pupils lives are reflected upon in the context of the Word of God and the teachings of the Church Where opportunity is given to reflect upon and to develop the values of community activity, exchange of greetings, capacity to listen, to seek and grant pardon, expression of gratitude, experience of symbolic action, a meal of friendship and festive celebration. (General Catechetical Directory no. 25). When a sacred space is created through a focal point, music etc When Scripture is given prominence When opportunity is taken to use liturgical responses and actions When there is evidence of a variety of approaches, telling a story, describing a situation or event, using images, special objects, dance, drama, music etc Where there is opportunity for individual and communal prayer in a variety of forms e.g. spontaneous, litany, intercession, meditation, traditional etc Where pupils not only lead acts of worship but are skilled in preparing acts of worship Where the act of worship follows a liturgical structure, Gathering, Listen, Response, Going Forth Where it encourages thinking about the needs of others Where it affirms relationships and provides the opportunity for the collective sharing of joys and sorrows Where it helps to promote a common ethos and shared vision Where there is good use of visual aids, story, scripture etc Where there is effective use made of music Where silence is used effectively to allow time for thought, prayer and reflection Language that is used is suitable for the age group There is a direct link between faith and everyday life The act of worship is separated from administration When gathering and leaving is conducted appropriately Where the senses are engaged When the act of worship encourages thinking about the needs of others When it affirms relationships and provides opportunity for the collective sharing of joy and sorrow When it is a learning experience but the focus is on worship and not on teaching Where adults are good role models When practical, that other adults/parents are invited to share (not simply observe) in the time of worship Objectives To provide a range and depth of spiritual experiences which are vibrant, rich and varied. To provide opportunities for collective worship, both liturgical and non-liturgical and individual prayer and reflection. To give children the opportunity to be involved in the formation and planning of prayerful experiences. To use the experiences and needs of the children, picking out the correct moment and time to deliver quality. To recognise the special place and time for traditional prayers and to share these with our pupils. To develop and deepen the prayer life of teachers themselves and to give structure and support. St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 5 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

To provide both children and staff a living, worshipping community, thereby helping them to enter into the full life of the church. Planning and Organisation Each week provides various opportunities for whole school collective worship. Liturgical celebrations form a very important part of our school life. Opportunities for children to participate are maximised and parents and other members of the school and Parish communities are encouraged to attend. Liturgical celebrations include: Whole school Masses for o Induction o Crowning of Mary o Epiphany o Easter o Advent o Holy Communion o Christmas o End of Term o Leavers Mass Annual class Masses and Liturgies for each year group Members of staff are invited to lead these gatherings along with the Head teacher, Deputy and Assistant Head teacher. All staff follow the planning guidelines provided by the Come and See Religious Education Scheme of work which integrates Child led Prayer and Worship throughout. Examples of class liturgies connected to the class focus are used to allow children to work together in providing prayerful experiences. To provide focus and to give stimulation to prayer, the hall and each classroom has a prayer focus area which is refreshed regularly to reflect the different parts of the liturgical year of the Church. Children are actively encouraged to contribute to these areas and to have ownership of them. Children and staff pray together using both traditional and inspired prayers. These times occur at the beginning of the school day; a lunchtime prayer as well as a prayer at the end of the day. Through circle time and P.S.H.E. children are able to reflect on their behaviour, which in turn can lead to a focus for prayer. Each term individual classes prepare and present a class assembly, which they share with the whole school and parents. Whole school hymn singing is planned to give the children experiences of praying through song. During October and May all children are invited to join staff in prayer together, in the Rosary. The Seeds and Gardeners relationship of our Year 6 and Reception children has a unique and special value in our school community. This encourages all the children to share in the growth process involved in spiritual and moral development. A Year 6 child is paired with a Reception child and opportunities are given for them to learn and play together. This helps to develop a caring attitude and thus nurturing feelings of trust and responsibility. Each year group celebrates a special mass or liturgy with Fr. Haworth at least once during the course of the year. Catholic Ambassadors: St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 6 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

St Mary Magdalene s has a dedicated team of Catholic Ambassadors. Their role has a high profile as the Catholic Ambassadors are a visible presence for all the pupils. St Mary Magdalene s School team of Catholic Ambassadors are from Years 6. This role has a high profile in school and Catholic Ambassadors are given a special blazer with gold braiding and a special Ambassadors badge so that they are easily distinguishable from other pupils. Catholic Ambassadors prove themselves to be an excellent link between school and church. Some of the tasks the Catholic Ambassadors undertake include: preparing and leading school Assemblies, fund raising, and attendance at*parish funerals. (*With parental and pupil approval/consent). Moral Development Prayer and collective worship is a good place to develop good moral growth. It is aimed at developing a morality which is consistent with the teachings and values as given to us by Our Lord. As such children are taught that everyone is a unique special creation of God and that for this reason all people, regardless of colour, creed or culture are worthy of their love and respect. Following on from this, children are taught that they should not judge and that reconciliation and forgiveness is a very important part of our faith. A fundamental belief of our Roman Catholic faith is that all people have the right to choose. In terms of our moral teaching we try to give our children the knowledge, values and attitudes they need to make the best choices. To aid the children to do this we must constantly work towards creating an atmosphere which encourages trust and confidence to be able to ask questions and search for answers together. Health and Safety Religious Education teaching and activities, including the use of artefacts, will be in accordance with the Health and Safety Policy. Resources Resources that can be used to stimulate of enhance collective worship are stored centrally in Long Stock Room and are reviewed regularly. New resources are purchased frequently so that religious areas are stimulating and interesting Examples of prayers and liturgy books are stored in the Re section of the Long Stock Room cupboard in labelled boxes. Funding Money is allocated from the school budget to support the RE curriculum including Prayer and Worship each financial year. Prayer St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 7 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

The school has a developmental prayer programme, which plans for a deepening experience of prayer. We acknowledge that children s experiences of prayer will be individual and not necessarily linked to their age. However, as leaders of prayer, staff will introduce the following types of prayer at each Key Stage. EYFS Talking and listening to God Contributions to the prayer table The sign of the cross - with deepening understanding Holy water blessing Quiet time Formal prayers for start of day, meal times and end of day Formal prayers - Hail Mary, Our Father and Glory Be. KS1 As above plus RE book with own prayers and thoughts, pictures and special things that remind the children of God/Jesus and loved ones Use of music and light Developing the meaning of the sign of the cross Explaining the use of holy water and why the act of blessing is important The meaning of the Hail Mary and Our Father Learning the school prayer Spontaneous prayers for different occasions - happy, sorry, thank you, prayers for help KS2 As above plus Developing the recognition that prayer can happen at any time Creating prayers for different seasons, moods and expression of feelings Understanding the roots of the Hail Mary and Our Father in Scripture and praying each phrase incorporating wider scripture references Learning and developing traditional and contemporary Acts of Sorrow Using Scripture as a stimulus for prayer Using imagination to speak and listen to Jesus as a character from Scripture A variety of religious music Contemplative prayer (Prayer in our hearts) Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament The Rosary The Stations of the Cross Using images and symbols in prayer e.g. water, light, artefacts, music, art Mass responses Silence and stillness Gesture, movement and dance Drama Poetry Through our actions St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 8 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

School Prayers Our School Prayer is: Dear Lord, You are the friend of all children, Look after our School, St Mary Magdalene s, Look after the children and teachers who work in it, Help us to always do our best, Help us to be kind to one another, To work hard to become the best people we can possibly be. Let your light shine for all to see, Help us to celebrate your love in our lives. Amen. Formal prayers will be taught and used throughout the school. These prayers will be an important element of the school s life of prayer and worship. EYFS and KS1 Formal Prayers KS2 Formal Prayers Sign of the Cross (in addition to KS1 prayers listed) The Lord s Prayer Act of Contrition Hail Mary Mass responses Glory Be Grace before meals Grace after meals Morning Offering Home time prayer THE SIGN OF THE CROSS In the name of The Father And of The Son And of The Holy Spirit. Amen. St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 9 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

Morning Prayer Thank you Jesus, it s a Great New Day with lots to learn and lots to play. It s great to know I ve a friend like you, who cares for me what ever I do. At work or school throughout this day stay close to me Dear Jesus I pray. Amen. Hail Mary, Hail Mary, full of Grace, The Lord is with thee, Blessed art thou among women and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen. Glory Be Glory be to The Father and to The Son, and to The Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, World without end, Amen. Grace Before Meals Bless us, O God, as we sit together. Bless the food we eat today. Bless the hands that made the food. Bless us O God. Amen. Grace After Meals Thank you, God, for the food we have eaten. Thank you, God, for all our friends. Thank you, God, for everything. Thank you, God Amen. Afternoon Prayer / Home Time Prayer O my God I come to say, Thank you for your love today, Thank you for my family And all the friends you give to me. Guard me in the dark of night And in the morning Send your light. Amen. St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 10 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

APPENDIX 1 St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley Additional Guidance for Teachers on Planning a Daily Act of Worship using a Liturgical Structure Prepare a sacred space: (images, words, music, and lighting to remind us of the presence of God.) Create a focal point to help pupils to focus during prayer using cloths, a projected image, photographs, painting, Book of the Gospels, crucifix, statue, rosary, lighted candle, special object, flowers etc. We can meet God in visual images and they can be a powerful catalyst for prayer. Remember quality and not quantity. Ask yourself, is it attractive, would it help me, is it relevant, does it reflect the theme, the liturgical year? Use liturgical colours (green for ordinary time, purple for Advent and Lent, white/gold for Christmas and Easter, red for apostles, martyrs. Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Pentecost, white/ blue for Our Lady Use symbols of the season e.g. red poppy, autumn leaves, seas shells, and symbols of Baptism. God can be found in all things! Play reflective music listen reflectively, use sign language, or sing as you gather Change the lighting to create a different atmosphere Light a candle a sign of God s presence and love Try various ways of gathering: into a circle e.g. various seating patterns e.g. theatre style, circle, semi-circle, group, / Collect a class at a time/ Each class to bring their class candle or alternative symbol to a central display Repeat a line/ chant/ mantra e.g. joy, peace, love, Come Lord Jesus Come,(Advent) Peace on earth,(christmas) I will follow you, (Lent) Jesus is risen, (Easter) Come Holy Spirit (Pentecost). A mantra is a holy word or phrase which is repeated often and can provide a precious moment of prayer Make the sign of the cross Make the sign of the cross on the forehead, lips and heart May Jesus be in my mind, on my lips and in my heart Pass something round to hold attention Picking up a pebble, picture etc. on the way in Sit in an outside space Contribute an item to a display e.g. pebble, coin Set the scene Movement from silence/quiet to next stage St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 11 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

Listen The Scriptures are a primary source of faith, a special sign of God s presence and should be given prominence. Listen to a reading from the Old or New Testament (sometimes it is sufficient to present just a few sentences). ICT e.g. project a single image or a series of images to tell a story from the scriptures with key questions to consider: What do I see? What do I feel? What do I like? Prepare a PowerPoint of images and phrases with background music that makes the Scripture of the day relevant to the world we live in. Gospel Acclamation: Process and enthrone the Bible, elevate the Gospel, carry candles, stand to show respect, sing alleluia! +Jesus be in my mind +on my lips + and in my heart Mime the story as it is read Act out the story Sections narrated by pupils or part-speaking Gospel story presented as a news report Use guided meditation. This is a way of praying with Scripture. Do a stilling exercise, invite the pupils to listen to the story and as they do to imagine they are someone in the story. What do they see, hear, did Jesus speak to them, what was he doing? etc. Ensure the reading has a message or theme Listen to reading on a disc Tell story in own words Create a visual story or read Gospel story and place pictures on a display Use same reading over the course of a week s worship Use pictures, images from God s Story Use puppets to tell the story Use hymns and songs that tell the story Hot seat a character Response Remember that this is a special time to respond to the Word of God in prayer. Make sure that children are given quiet time to internalise the message and to Reflect and write on a leaf and make a prayer tree Light a candle Blessing with water/ oil Use touch e.g. hand on hand, shake hands, sign of peace, hold hands, link arms, clap hands On a large sheet of paper children could add their own paint stroke Destroy papers (reconciliation) Sign language Breaking of bread Respond using clay, drawing, painting etc Write personal prayers on post-its Use cut out shapes e.g. hearts, people, stars to write prayers on Posters Dance St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 12 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

Going Forth Here children come to reflect on what they would like to hold on to, to understand and express how faith is lived out in the school community, at home, in the parish, the local and wider community. They identify ways of applying faith to life. Request to do something linked with the word e.g. prayer, deed, to pass something on Memento as a reminder e.g. card, shell, prayer, candle Mission through personal example i.e. forgiveness Spread the word (amongst others) Shake hands Ensure pupils follow through on what they are asked to do Words of commitment Reflect (at another time) on how their mission has impacted on others Find a few moments in the day to say thank you to God Say a prayer for someone in need Tell your mum/dad you love her/him Care for God s world by picking up a piece of litter Remember to say please and thank you Greet someone with a smile Do something helpful at home Invite someone lonely or isolated to join you at break time Go forth! Serve! Proclaim! Witness! Expectation! Make an internal promise Make a vocal promise Contribute to a class book of ideas Planning Checklist for a Daily Act of Worship Theme: Date: Preparation: When, where, who, what? What resources will I need? Create a focus. Gathering: How will we begin? How will I create an atmosphere of prayer? Listen: What will be the scripture focus and decide how to present it. Respond: What will we do in response to listening to God s Word e.g. prayer and symbolic action. Go Forth: What will I do to help the pupils take the message away with them? St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 13 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

Helping Older Pupils to Plan an Act of Worship Gather: What music might you play? How will you arrange the pupils? Will you light the candle(s)? Can you find an appropriate image, picture, poster/artefact for your prayer focus? Listen: Who will read? What will you read? (Scripture, story, poem etc.) Will you act out the reading or use a PowerPoint presentation. Respond: How will you help your friends to reflect on what they have read? Make sure you give some silent time. Will you say prayers that need a response? Who will lead the prayers? Go Forth: What do you want your friends to take away from this Act of Worship to remember its message? Helping Younger Pupils to Plan an Act of Worship Choose a theme: e.g. God gives me strength, Give praise to God, God s wonderful world, Love your neighbour, etc. Something to look at: Something to listen to: Something to say: Something to do: Something to remember: Create resource theme boxes e.g. Advent, Friendship, Our Wonderful World etc., for pupils to choose from and put a selection of appropriate pictures, songs, CDs, prayers, litanies, mantras, blessings, sacred objects, candles, readings, special book, Bible, stones, shells, cards, selection of activities, each on a separate card e.g. sign of peace, blessing with water, place a stone at the foot of a cross, etc. Let the pupils choose. St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 14 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

The Monitoring and Evaluation of a Daily Act of Worship Date:... Year Group... Was the main emphasis on worshipping God? Have pupils been involved in the planning, preparation and leading of the act of worship? Was a sacred space created using a prayer focus related to the theme, music, images, objects etc.? Were pupils actively involved in the worship? Was a variety of approaches used, e.g., story-telling, use of images, drama, music etc? Was a time of silence given for pupils to think, reflect and pray? Were the pupils respectful and reverent? Did the act of worship follow a liturgical structure, e.g., Gathering, Listen, Response, and Sending Forth? Was prominence given to the Scriptures as the Word of God? Was the language used suitable for the year group? Was the worship linked to everyday life e.g. joys and sorrows, a special event, world matters etc? Was the Church s liturgical year recognised and celebrated? St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 15 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017

Were the pupils encouraged to think about the needs of others? Useful Website Resources for the daily act of worship Mission Together: www.missiontogether.org.uk Spirit of the Season: www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/sos Church House Publishing: www.chpublishing.co.uk/schools CAFOD Resources: www.cafod.org/primary CAFOD Resources: www.cafod.org/secondary Catholic Education Service: www.cesew.org.uk Teacher NET: www.teachernet.gov.uk The Bishops of England and Wales Liturgy office: www.liturgyoffice.org.uk Culham Institute: www.culham.ac.uk/cw/assemblies You Tube resource: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vejt280pdo St Mary Magdalene s RC Primary School, Burnley 16 Prayer and Worship Policy 2017