Collective Worship Policy

Aims of Collective Worship

Worship at Bishop Bridgeman is inclusive, invitational and inspiring.  It is an opportunity for staff and pupils to be reflective and engage in activity about faith, and have conversations about God, both as individuals and together.  At the heart of all worship sessions is the expression of the school’s Christian vision, “Love God, Love Yourself, Love Your Neighbour.” adapted from Luke 10:27, and our school values of Faith, Love and Hope.

 We aim to:

• Ensure all children and adults encounter the teachings of Jesus and the Bible and develop an understanding of the Christian belief in the trinitarian nature of God. 

• Develop both children and adults spiritually by providing opportunities for prayer, stillness, worship and reflection. 

• Develop the skills of children and adults in the planning, delivery and evaluation of worship to find ways to continually improve the offer of worship in our school.

• Enable all pupils and adults to appreciate that Christians 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, festivals and, where appropriate, the Eucharist. 

• Ensure all participants of worship feel included, invited and inspired. 

 

Inclusive Worship

At Bishop Bridgeman, we ensure our worship is inclusive by: 

• Being fully accessible for all children and adults with or without Christian faith; 

• Ensuring our most vulnerable children are involved in worship through the use of bespoke SEND and nurture worship sessions;

• Using reflection time within worship that is personal to the individual and there is no expectation to share; 

• Giving individuals the opportunity to meet and explore God through the teachings of Jesus and the Bible, our Christian values and vision; 

• Giving individuals the chance to bring their own experiences to worship;

• Giving individuals the opportunity to ask and answer questions in response to the content of collective worship; 

• Giving individuals the opportunity to grow spiritually through the school spirituality definition of “Getting to know God more, getting to know others more and getting to know yourself more”;

• Providing opportunities for different adults and groups of children to plan and deliver worship; 

• Including children in the delivery of worship;

 

Invitational Worship

At Bishop Bridgeman, we ensure our worship is invitational by: 

 

• Using a routine that welcomes all to the worship – sharing our vision, lighting our worship candle, reflection time and school prayer; 

• Using a variety of methods to provide the opportunity for pupils and adults to engage with collective worship such as storytelling, videos, role play, singing; 

• Inviting participants in worship to “get comfortable for prayer” so that this can be done in a way to suit the individual, or give those who wish not to pray the chance for personal reflection; 

• Carefully choosing a mix of music that reflects the wider Christian community; 

• Having a liturgy that is connected to the Christian vision and values of the school, but also educates adults and children on the parables of Jesus, prominent Bible characters and stories from the Old and New Testaments, Fruits of the Spirit and celebrating special times in the Christian calendar.

 

INSPIRING WORSHIP

At Bishop Bridgeman, we ensure our worship is inspirational by: 

 

• Using the technique of mirrors, windows and doors to encourage adults and children to reflect on their own and the wider community’s behaviour and actions, think differently and be motivated to take action; 

• Giving participants of worship the opportunity to ask and answer questions about who we are and why we do what we do;

• Encouraging participants of worship, through ‘doors challenges’ to become courageous advocates and take action for causes they are passionate about;

• Using worship evaluation books as a tool for reflection on the teachings of worship and how this will impact on individuals or groups of children.

 

Organisation of Worship​

Context: The school’s Christian vision and values underpin the planning of worship. To compliment this, each half term there will be a focus of worship which includes the parables of Jesus, Bible agents of change, stories and characters from the Old Testament, women of the Bible, stories and characters from the New Testament and fruits of the spirit. Yearly and termly plans are in place to ensure coverage mentioned above and will also reflect special times in the Christian calendar. The theme for each collective worship is shared with the adults and children within the worship session. The school has close links with the clergy who aspire to plan and deliver weekly worship sessions that reflect the long term worship plans of the school. 

 

Gathering: Children and adults are welcomed into worship through song which they are invited to join in with or listen to respectfully. Worship in the school hall begins with a focus on the ‘worship table’ where the worship candle will be lit. The artefacts on the worship table allows adults and children to become familiar with the trinitarian nature of God – Bible, cross and worship candle. There is also a moment of stillness, reflection and prayer. 

 

Engaging and Responding: Worship engages adults and children through the use of e.g. storytelling, video, or role play. Participants of worship are invited to ask or answer questions at relevant points within the worship. Further opportunities for prayer and reflection are invited after and during worship content has been delivered.  

 

Sending: Participants may be asked to reflect using mirrors, windows and doors. There is a weekly opportunity for a ‘doors challenge’ - how the worship will impact on and motivate pupils and adults to take action after the worship. The worship candle is blown out, and adults and children are reminded about the Holy Spirit always being with us. The peace may be shared. Children and adults are invited to sing or listen respectfully as they are sent from worship.  

 

Outside of the worship session, pupils and adults are invited to complete a worship evaluation to explore the impact that worship has had on them as individuals, and how we can improve worship for it’s participants. Worship evaluation books are kept in each classroom and completed weekly. Groups of pupils are given opportunities to plan and deliver worship. 

 

The current pattern or worship: 

 

Monday:         Full School Worship led by the Headteacher 9.00-9.25am 

Tuesday:        Full School Worship led by the Headteacher 9.00-9.25am 

Wednesday:  Full School Worship led by a member of clergy from Bolton Parish Church 9.00-9.25am  

                        SEND Wiggle Worship

Thursday:      Key Stage Two Class Worship (based on The Big Picture) 9.00-9.25am

                        Key Stage One Wiggle Worship 

                        Nurture Wiggle Worship  

Friday:            Full School Celebration Worship 9.00-9.25am

 

Wiggle Worship: Wiggle Worship is an initiative derived from Manchester Diocese Children Changing Places Project. The main objective of Wiggle is to help our youngest pupils engage in worship. At Bishop Bridgeman, we use Wiggle Worship in EYFS and KS1. We also use this approach with our most vulnerable children (SEND/Nurture) to ensure they have accessible worship sessions in school. The story of Wiggle is that he is a book worm (there is a puppet resource to support this), but what makes him special is that he is a Bible book worm. Wiggle loves God with all of his heart and just loves listening to stories from the Bible. The Wiggle Worship sessions at Bishop Bridgeman includes a Wiggle welcome song, a Wiggle story, Wiggle wonders and Wiggle prayers. 

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For more information on Wiggle Worship click on the button

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SEND/Nurture Worship: Following on from a research project conducted by our Trust pupil group Spirit Blazers, children have recognised that pupils with additional needs sometimes find it hard to access worship. At Bishop Bridgeman, we have taken decisive action and have weekly worship sessions for a small group of SEND pupils, and a small group of vulnerable pupils who access nurture support. These sessions follow the format of Wiggle Worship (see above). The main aim of this is to ensure that ALL pupils in our school access high quality worship that is inclusive, invitational and inspirational.  

 

How our Ethos Leaders have shaped worship

Our Ethos Leaders have set their own child-led expectations for worship that adults should adhere to. We want to ensure that our children have a voice in collective worship so that they feel included, invited and inspired. Our children tell us that our collective worship should be organised and delivered as below: 

Gathering Together

We would like the children to come into the hall knowing it is a special time. We want the children to look forward to coming to worship. We think worship should be calming and intriguing to the children. The adult who is leading the worship should be excited, social and enjoy doing it. The adult has got to value it and put effort into it. There should be a wonderful atmosphere/vibe in worship. Children enter the hall to different music each day sit and show that they are ready to engage. Light the candle – choose a volunteer. Adults should make sure the lighter etc. is working before worship starts. Reminder, worship should – Explore... those questions which are important to everyone, Encounter... a faith which is alive, Experience... the joy of celebrating God’s love.

Engaging the Children

We believe worship has impact when adults really mean it.

Affective use of role play

Quiz

Adult walks up and down the middle

FUN!

TELL the story don’t just read it

Body language

Surprise 

Relatable

Props

Sharing, listening, thinking and praying

NOT to use the screen as KS2 can’t see 

Children Interacting 

We believe worship should be interactive.

Use of Windows, Doors and Mirrors

Answering questions

Role play

Children actively listen

Challenge children’s thinking

Prayer

Activities to take back to class

Floor book responses 

Reflection Time

Reflection time is a vital part of our worship, to be still and think how worship can help us throughout the day or week. Give children time to think and develop their own way of making sense of the worship. Don’t ask for answers, make the reflection questions meaningful. 

 

Spiritual Development

Always refer to our school definition of spirituality written by children: “a way of getting to know yourself more, getting to know others more and getting to know God more”. 

The children’s expectations for collective worship are threaded through this policy. 

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Legal requirements for Collective Worship

Collective Worship in Church Schools is governed by both the 1944 and 1988 Education Acts, (as consolidated in the 1996 Act) as well as the Trust Deed of the School. The Collective Worship provided by the school must be in accordance with the Trust Deed. 

Daily Worship: Daily Collective Worship has to be provided for every pupil. This worship may take place in various groupings such as the whole school, separate Key Stage groups, year groups or house groups or in classes or tutor groups, but not faith groups. Worship may take place at any point in the school day. 

Parental rights of withdrawal: Parents may withdraw their children from Collective Worship. The Governors have agreed with the following form of words on this subject: 

“The Worship and Religious Education provided by the school is in accordance with the Church of England Foundation. This Foundation is also reflected in the curriculum and the whole life of the school community. Since the conduct of the school as a whole reflects the Church of England ethos, removal of pupils from Worship and or Religious Education (as parents are legally entitled to do) cannot insulate pupils from the religious life of the school”. 

The aims for worship in our multi-faith Church school have been carefully chosen to recognise that Christian worship needs to be maintained but in a way which allows children from other faiths to take part, keeping true to the Church of England’s vision of worship being inclusive, invitational and inspiring.

Monitoring Worship

Pupils are given the chance to monitor the impact of worship through worship reflection journals that are kept in each classroom. These are updated on a weekly basis. A variety of stakeholders will monitor worship sessions such as senior leaders, governors and clergy. This feedback ensures that our worship sessions continue to engage and motivate both pupils and adults so that meaningful and spiritual experiences are offered to all. 

Reviewed: May 2024 

Next Review Date: September 2025