Is collective worship compulsory for pupils and staff?

Collective worship

At Staverton the children take part in a daily act of collective worship (also known as an assembly). As a church school, this is a requirement of the school to have a daily act of collective worship, but more importantly, it is a time within our busy school day, where we can come together and learn about important values for our lives.

Pupil at a classroom desk reading from a book, with a computer and other pupils in the background.

Our aims

Collective worship teaches the children the importance of our Christian vision and values through stories, discussion and real-life examples. It also provides moments for children to be still, calm and reflective, allowing children to grow spiritually.

Through collective worship, we hope to:

Express praise and thanksgiving to God
Be still and reflect
Explore the big questions of life and respond to national events
Foster respect and deepen spiritual awareness
Reflect on the character of God and on the teachings of Christ
Affirm Christian values and attitudes

Share each other's joys and challenges
Celebrate special times in the Christian calendar
Allow children to engage with the planning and leadership of collective worship times
Encourage local partnerships with the local church community
Appreciate worship in different ways: music, silence, story, prayer, reflection and other traditions of Anglican worship

Express praise and thanksgiving to God
Be still and reflect
Explore the big questions of life and respond to national events
Foster respect and deepen spiritual awareness
Reflect on the character of God and on the teachings of Christ
Affirm Christian values and attitudes
Share each other's joys and challenges
Celebrate special times in the Christian calendar
Allow children to engage with the planning and leadership of collective worship times
Encourage local partnerships with the local church community
Appreciate worship in different ways: music, silence, story, prayer, reflection and other traditions of Anglican worship

School prayers

As a Church of England School, Staverton supports pupils to grow familiar with Anglican worship. These set prayers (sometimes called 'liturgy') are spoken in churches around the world.

The Grace

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, ever more. Amen.

The Peace

The Peace of the Lord be always with you. (And also with you.)

The Blessing

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his face towards you, and bring you peace.

Our pattern of worship

Our collective worship is centred around a weekly theme, linked to the term’s value or an event in the calendar. Each day offers children a different way to take part:

Monday – Whole-school collective worship, introducing the week’s theme
Tuesday – In-class collective worship, following up on the theme with deeper discussion and reflection
Wednesday – An OPAL, reading for pleasure or music assembly, or a small-group collective worship where Year 6 pupils lead a discussion and activity with younger children on the week’s theme
Thursday – A visitor-led collective worship from our local church team, or a “Thrive Thursday” assembly where children put our values into action
Friday – Whole-school celebration assembly

What every collective worship includes

Every collective worship includes reminders of our vision and values, a moment of reflection through stillness or prayer, a chance to respond to the theme, and an opportunity to engage spiritually through music. We also explore our values through storytelling – a picture book, an orally told story or drama – and every session includes some interaction, so children take part in worship rather than just observing it.

Each collective worship begins with the same gathering phrase – “Peace be with you” – and the children respond, “and also with you.” It’s the same exchange as in The Peace, above, and is a piece of Anglican worship children hear and join in with every day, not just something they learn about.

Pupil holding a pen looking at the camera, sitting beside another pupil in a classroom.

Is collective worship compulsory?

Staverton is a voluntary-controlled Church of England school, maintained by Wiltshire local education authority, and we welcome children from families of all faiths and none. Our Christian vision and values shape everything we do – in assembly, in lessons, in play, and in how we treat each other. We do not offer a separate religious assembly for other faiths.

Daily worship informs many aspects of life at our school, so while any pupil or member of staff is entitled to withdraw from assembly, doing so means missing an important part of school life. We want families to make that decision with full information, not in the dark

It's worth knowing that collective worship is not a church service or religious ceremony. Anyone taking part is simply invited to join in with whatever they feel comfortable with – that might be a prayer, a reading, or a song – and much of what we do is simply a celebration of school life, achievements and news, alongside the reflective and spiritual elements.

If you would like to withdraw your child from the religious aspects of assembly, please get in touch with the Headteacher, who will be glad to talk through what this means in practice. Staff who would prefer not to take part in the religious aspects of assembly are also welcome to speak with the Headteacher directly.