Collective Worship
.png)
Collective Worship at Hoole
We are committed to offering high quality collective worship. We recognise and value collective worship as the central to fostering a sense of community and to expressing our Christian vision.
Collective worship supports us in encouraging children to build character, tolerance and respect for others to enable them and our school community to flourish and to ‘live life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10).
Collective worships at Hoole are welcoming and inclusive, exemplifying the principles of Christian hospitality. This approach seeks to meet the needs of all, regardless of personal beliefs or wherever an individual may be on their own journey of faith. We adhere to the principles of the Church of England Education Office guidance Collective Worship in Church of England Schools – Inclusive Invitational Inspiring.
Collective worship is not ‘done to’ but involves meaningful contributions from the whole school community including pupils as it is recognised that children will bring their own experience to worship. Worship is an opportunity to engage whilst allowing the freedom of those of different faiths and those who profess no religious faith to be present and engage with integrity. There is no compulsion to ‘do anything.’ Worship at our school seeks to inspire and motivate. It encourages members of our school family to think differently, reflecting on their and the wider community’s behaviour and actions.
Collective worship is led by partners including representatives from All Saints’ Church and local faith groups, in addition to the headteacher and senior staff in school. School leaders, clergy and the religious leaders delivering worship collaborate on a regular basis to plan to ensure that collective worship achieves its aims.
Pupils take an active role in leading worship. They undertake a variety of actions including welcoming and greeting participants, supporting reflection and leading prayers during worship activities.
The school recognises the right of withdrawal from collective worship for those parents/carers who wish to exercise this option.
Collective worship in a Church of England School seeks do the following:
- Explore the school’s vision and how that underpins shared values and virtues. In doing so, it will reflect on moral values such as compassion, gratitude, justice, humility, forgiveness and reconciliation; and develop virtues such as resilience, determination and creativity that develop character.
- Help pupils and adults to appreciate the relevance of faith in today’s world by encountering the teachings of Jesus and the Bible. At Hoole, we also enjoy learning about the customs, teachings and traditions of the many diverse faiths within our school family. Children are encouraged to teach us about their own faith and beliefs, in the classroom and in collective worship.
- Offer the opportunity, without compulsion, to all pupils and adults to grow spiritually through experiences of prayer, stillness, worship and reflection.
- Enable all pupils and adults to appreciate that Christians and other religions worship in different ways, for example using music, silence, story, prayer, reflection, as well as through the varied liturgical and other traditions of Anglican worship and festivals.
- Enable pupils to develop skills through engaging in the planning, leading and evaluation of collective worship in ways that lead to improving practice.