Collective worship
At Staverton CofE Primary School 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. 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.
Our aims
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
Our weekly pattern of worship
Our pattern of worship varies day to day, giving children a range of ways to take part:
- Monday – Whole-school collective worship, introducing the theme for the week
- Tuesday – In-class collective worship, following up on the week's theme with deeper discussion and reflection
- Wednesday – Either an OPAL, reading for pleasure, or music assembly, or a small-group collective worship, where our Year 6 pupils lead a discussion and activity with younger year groups based on the week's theme
- Thursday – Either a visitor-led collective worship from our local church team, or a "Thrive Thursday" assembly, where children put the school's values into action
- Friday – Whole-school celebration assembly
Every collective worship includes reminders of our school's vision and values, a moment of reflection through stillness or prayer, a chance for children to respond to the worship's theme, and an opportunity to engage spiritually through music. We enjoy exploring our values through storytelling too, whether through a picture book, an orally told story, or drama – and every session includes some element of interaction to keep children engaged in worship, not just observing it.
Each collective worship begins with the same gathering phrase – "Peace be with you" – to which the children respond, "and also with you." You'll recognise this as the same exchange in The Peace, below – it's a piece of Anglican worship children hear and join in with every single day, not just something they learn about.
School prayers
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 Grace
The Peace of the Lord be always with you. (And also with you.)
The Peace
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.
The Blessing
Is collective worship compulsory for pupils and staff?
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.
