Collective Worship

What is Collective Worship?

At St Thomas, 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 school and to our world. Here, our school affirms and reflects the claims of Christianity underlying the aims, values and ethos of the school. It provides an opportunity for pupils to worship God, whilst seeking to be relevant to, and inclusive, of all. It reflects our Anglican tradition as well as exploring with pupils and staff a variety of ways in which Christians worship God. Daily Collective Worship forms an integral part of each day at All Saints Multi Academy Trust, bringing different elements of the school community together in an attitude of thanksgiving, reverence and reflection.

Why is Collective Worship important?

At St Thomas, Collective Worship is highly valued, and every effort is made to ensure that all children and staff take an active part in a high quality daily act of collective worship.

Clearly, rooting all learning in the Bible and the Church, Roots and Fruits is designed to support SIAMS requirements and meets the criteria set out in the Evaluation Schedule.

Each assembly follows the pattern established in earlier Imaginor publications and includes the four elements of Welcome, Learning, Reflecting and Responding – which match the Windows, Mirrors, Doors strategy that has proved so popular with teachers.

The worship is enriched by the use of:

Quotes and questions to encourage deeper thinking about each value
Photographs and posters to root the teaching in the everyday experience of children
Stories, poems and art, much of which has been especially commissioned for this book
Prayers and guided reflections from traditional and contemporary authors
Fruits from the Roots – ideas to develop the theme of the worship through the week

What does Collective Worship look like in our schools?

Each half-term there is a different theme for our collective worship. These themes are taken from the 'Roots and Fruits' Christian values and themes and linked back to our school ethos.

Below shows an example of each different element, and how it may look in practice:

Element	Example
Welcome	Good morning St Thomas team! The peace of the lord be with you...
Lighting of the candle	The lead of the collective worship lights the candle and reminds the children of what it symbolises that half-term.
Bible verse of the half-term	“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Praise and worship	Creator God – Nick and Becky Drake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM4IVZuljEI I will praise you – Great Big God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUyF8zeXO30
Learning and responding	Specific teaching taken from the Roots and fruits collective worship book.
Reflection Call and response	Dear God, Thank you for your creation. Thank you that you love each one of us. Sorry for the things we have done wrong today. Help us to remember the opportunities we have to be kind and loving. Amen. God is Good All the Time All the Time God is Good This is the day the lord has made Let us rejoice and be glad in it!