BRINGING US TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY
At Andrews’ Endowed, we believe in providing our children with everything they will need to succeed both at school and in the future. Collective Worship is an integral part of this and helps to bring us together as a community to celebrate our faith in God.
OUr CORE AIMS of Worship
The core aims of Collective Worship at Andrews’ Endowed CE are for it to be Inclusive, Invitational & Inspirational.
In developing collective worship that is inclusive, invitational and inspiring the school community strives to:
a) Offer the opportunity, without compulsion, to all pupils and adults to grow spiritually through experiences of prayer, stillness, worship and reflection.
b) Enable all pupils and adults to appreciate that Christians worship in different ways, for example using music, silence, story, prayer, reflection, the varied liturgical and other traditions of Anglican/Methodist worship, festivals and, where appropriate, the Eucharist.
c) Help pupils and adults to appreciate the relevance of faith in today’s world, to encounter the teachings of Jesus and the Bible and to develop their understanding of the Christian belief in the trinitarian nature of God and its language.
d) Enable pupils as well as adults to engage in the planning, leading and evaluation of collective worship in ways that lead to improving practice.
e) Encourage local church community partnerships to support the school effectively in developing its provision for collective worship.
OUR FRAMEWORK
Our worship consists of 4 elements:
- Gather – we welcome the community, for example, (with music, liturgy and the lighting of a candle)
- Engage – we share, for example, (a Bible reading, followed by an activity to engage pupils with the Christian message)
- Respond – pupils, for example, (discuss, share, reflect, pray or sing)
- Send – we share, for example, (the message of the worship again and ask pupils to think about how they will affect their day / learning/ behaviour. We close with liturgy, final prayer, music and the blowing out of our special candle
special services and church links
Once a week, we have the Reverend or a visiting member of the local church to lead our worship.
Special services are held in the church at the end of each term, allowing pupils to participate in a Harvest, Christmas, Easter and End of Year service. Parents and Governors are invited to join us in these services.
Our programme of Collective Worship is open to all
To offer opportunities to re-affirm, interpret and put into practice the Christian values and ethos of the school
To help children explore and develop their own spirituality
To help children to explore and develop their own beliefs
To be an opportunity for pupils to reflect on human existence
To offer opportunities for children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
To enable children to think deeply, to ask or attempt to answer searching questions, and to share ideas confidently within a community which respects each individual’s views and contributions
To be inclusive and welcoming, accessible to those with faith and those with no faith, respecting the individual and family values of every child in our community
To allow opportunities to participate in prayer and silent reflection
To celebrate the various achievements of each member of the school community
To offer opportunities to share worship with staff, parents, governors and the local community
To offer opportunities to re-affirm, interpret and put into practice the Christian values and ethos of the school
To help children explore and develop their own spirituality
To help children to explore and develop their own beliefs
To be an opportunity for pupils to reflect on human existence
To offer opportunities for children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
To enable children to think deeply, to ask or attempt to answer searching questions, and to share ideas confidently within a community which respects each individual’s views and contributions
To be inclusive and welcoming, accessible to those with faith and those with no faith, respecting the individual and family values of every child in our community
To allow opportunities to participate in prayer and silent reflection
To celebrate the various achievements of each member of the school community
To offer opportunities to share worship with staff, parents, governors and the local community
In planning for Collective Worship, we are always very aware of the fact that every member of the school community should feel equally valued and free from discrimination on grounds of religion. We are also mindful of the fact that children of different ages and adults will be at different stages of spiritual development and therefore they should feel able to respond and participate at their own level.
We acknowledge the fact that parents have a legal right to withdraw their children from the act of worship either partly or wholly. Any parent wishing to do so should contact the Head teacher. Members of staff also have the right to withdraw from leading or taking part in worship. We welcome visitors to our collective worship, and parents and carers are welcome to book a visit at the school office.