The Collective Worship at Mayplace Primary School follows the guidance of:
Circular 1/94 Religious Education and Collective Worship;
Excellence and enjoyment: Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning; Education Act (2001)
“All registered pupils attending a maintained school should take part in daily collective worship”
(Religious Education and Collective Worship 1/94)
The following points summarise the statutory requirements in the ERA:
The act of collective worship can occur at any time of day and should take place on school premises. It can either be a single act by the whole school or can be separate acts by pupils of different age or school groups.
The Head Teacher is responsible for ensuring that all pupils (except those who have been withdrawn by their parents) attend collective worship daily.
At least 51% of these acts, each term, must be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character. All acts of worship will take into account the family backgrounds of the pupils and their ages and aptitudes.
Purpose of Collective Worship
- To contribute to a sense of unity and community for the school as a whole.
- To promote spiritual, cultural and moral education.
Aims of Collective Worship
It provides an opportunity to:
· encourage pupils to develop an awareness of the universal moral principles of right and wrong, justice and fairness and a proper concern for the fate of others and the world;
· affirm and celebrate the values and ethos of the school;
· add to the pupils’ development an awareness of, and a sense of belonging to, the many different dimensions of the school’s community;
· experience the sense of gathering for a special purpose;
· share an experience that promotes thought and reflection;
· promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development;
· consider and reflect upon a variety of situations and issues and make a personal response; and
· reflect quietly and make an internal response in the light of personal beliefs and background; this may include worship of God within each participant’s own faith understanding.
Principles of Mayplace assemblies
All Collective Worship at Mayplace includes the following elements:
Gathering – children and staff are brought together in a calm and quiet way. Music is played on entry. Staff and children welcome each other to Collective Worship.
Engaging – A school value, calendar event or religious story or festival is explored with the children. The engaging element must include:
(a) Different interactive and engaging ways that this can be presented
(b) Clarity of teaching so that children fully understand the concept
(c) Both the elements of ‘learning about’ and ‘learning from’ the event or value
(d) Include a song related to the topic
Responding - Children and staff are given quiet time to reflect on the concept explored in their own personal way.
Sending – Children and adults are given a final thought to take away and are sent quietly away in reflection. Music is played on exit.
The School values of Team, Belonging, Leading Learning and Love of Learning are reflected in the focus of assembly.
Right of Withdrawal
We expect all children to attend Collective Worship. However any parent can request for their child to be excused from attending religious worship and the school will make alternative arrangements for the supervision of the child during the period concerned. Parents do not have to explain or give reason for this. This complies with the 1944 Education Act which was restated in the 1988 Education Reform Act
The Head Teacher will keep a record of all children who withdraw from collective worship in the front of the Assemblies folder in the HT Office.
Organisation of Collective Worship
Assemblies for the year are planned by a range of senior staff and are overseen by the Head Teacher.
It is necessary on occasions to cancel assembly times and on these occasions teachers are responsible for providing their class with an act of collective worship at some point in the day.