“This is our school
Let peace dwell here,
Let the rooms be full of contentment,
Let love abide here,
Love of one another,
Love of people,
Love of life itself
and love of God
Let us remember that
As many hands build a house,
so many hearts build a school.”
The SMSP School Prayer
At St Mary’s and St Peter’s Church of England Primary School, meeting together to worship together is a central part of school life. The daily act of worship plays provides a unique opportunity for the school community to re-affirm its beliefs and ponder questions of profound meaning. It also provides an opportunity to celebrate what is good, to establish common ideals and identify ways of working and living well together – all of which contribute to the children’s overall development.
As a Church of England voluntary aided school, our worship is essentially Christian and conducted within an educational context. However, our community is diverse and our collective worship aims to be inclusive, invitational and inspiring, and respectful of individual beliefs. It is important to us that everyone feels welcome and everyone can take part, without compulsion.
Through our collective worship we have the opportunity to:
- express praise and thanksgiving to God;
- be still and reflect on the ‘wow’, ‘ow’ and ‘now’ moments of life;
- 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 our Christian values and the importance of them in our lives;
- share each other’s joys and challenges;
- celebrate special times in the Christian calendar.
Our collective worship is guided by our vision, ‘Life in all its fullness’. Through this daily opportunity to be together, children and staff experience moments of prayer, praise and spiritual reflection. The children and staff of SMSP, irrespective of their faith, beliefs and background, enjoy these times of togetherness and unity.
Staff, clergy and children bring the Bible and its messages to life through story, imagery, music, song and drama. We celebrate and commemorate key moments of the liturgical year, alongside those occasions which have meaning and value for us as a school. At times, we invite outside agencies and church groups, such as Tear Fund and Insight, to facilitate our collective worship.
During our collective worship, prayers are offered for our school, our local community and the wider world. We use traditional Christian prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer, our own school prayer and prayers written by the children themselves.
Our local church of St Mary with St Alban is an extension of our school. Father David and Reverend Mary are friendly faces, familiar to all at SMSP. Alongside our other local chaplains, they regularly lead our collective worship. Annual church celebrations form part of the rich traditions of our school, including services for Harvest, Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, which are led by the children and take place in St Mary with St Alban Church. It is a joy that many family members join us for these services.
Our RE Steering Group reflect on and influence our Collective Worship, giving feedback about what they have learnt, what they have enjoyed and also ideas for further improvement.
Parents have the right to withdraw their child from collective worship; we are proud that all children, staff and parents want to attend.
Children’s Views on Collective Worship
