Collective Worship
EPS School Statement on Collective Worship
Also see - Warwickshire Sacre Advisory Group on Collective Worship
At Eastlands Primary School, we adhere to our statutory duty under the 1988 Education Act, whereby schools are required to organise daily acts of collective worship of a “broadly Christian character” for all pupils. This time will enable our pupils to explore their own beliefs and to consider spiritual and moral issues.
Our interpretation of worship is a celebration of all that might be considered “of real worth” for example; justice, beauty, truth, love, peace and integrity. We try to emphasise the human values that are shared by all faiths, and different cultures. Different faiths and cultures will be represented.
Collective worship provides the opportunity for the school to meet together in a variety of contexts and enables participating pupils and staff to consider events of the world and appreciate the rich tapestry of human experience and existence.
At Eastlands Primary we hold daily assemblies, one of which is class based, including a special assembly each week when we celebrate the children’s learning throughout the week.
Please note that Religious Education and the daily act of collective worship are kept separate although there can be overlaps in the themes discussed in the school. Should parents have any reason for wishing to exclude their children from all or some of these activities please make an appointment to discuss this with the Headteacher to ensure that we are aware of your wishes.
Meaningful collective worship enables pupils to reflect on:
- what it means to be a human being
- questions of meaning, purpose and value
- the best that human beings can be - inspirational, exemplars (people of faith or not) who have demonstrated through their actions, lives and qualities. Examples will come from religious and non-religious sources.
- personal beliefs and values
Good collective worship recognises and values the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of the school population and will be of an inclusive nature.
Collective worship can enrich the experiences of pupils by:
- enabling pupils to reflect on and question issues such as belonging to the school community, the wider community and to humanity as a whole
- reinforcing a sense of community and cohesion through appreciating those things we have in common
- developing a reflective approach to life
- supporting pupils in the development of spiritual, cultural and moral perspectives.
- developing a sense of the individual's place in the world beyond the physical, material and the here and now
- providing time to consider values and beliefs - both their own and those of others
- raising awareness of difficulties experienced living a life based on values, beliefs and principles which may not be shared by everyone in the wider community
- providing opportunity to celebrate achievement and to share times of celebration
- supporting students in responding to crisis at a personal and collective level and provide them with a vocabulary to explore feelings and responses
- supporting those who have particular needs or who are engaged in times of crisis
Collective worship will reinforce the sense of the school community, by giving pupils the opportunity to share things of worth with each other, within a reflective space.
Those pupils who have a faith will be able to use the reflection time to consider issues in the light of their religious beliefs and to pray or worship internally as they feel appropriate whilst those pupils who don't have a religious belief will have the opportunity to reflect and make a personal internalised response to the same stimulus. They will also be able to enter into dialogue with those of faith, enabling both believers and non-believers to appreciate each other's stances.
