All schools are required by law to provide a daily act of Collective Worship for pupils, regardless of whether or not they are a Church School.
In Church Schools, Collective Worship should be a central experience, offering pupils and staff the opportunity to experience the presence, power and peace of God through prayer, reflection, singing, celebrating and sharing. It is important that there is an opportunity to appreciate and respond to the diversity of the Christian Church, whilst enabling all taking part to develop an understanding of Anglican liturgy, the life and teachings of Jesus and the Trinity.
Collective Worship should be a time for the whole school community to gather and for everyone to be given the opportunity to grow spiritually and be given time to pause and reflect. It should be a central part of school life and an enjoyable and uplifting time for adults and pupils alike.
Whilst the Christian context will be explicit in Church Schools it must be recognised that pupils will come from a wide variety of backgrounds. If Collective Worship is to be meaningful for all we must be sensitive to this. We must provide opportunities for all to share in worship in a way which makes sense to them and is appropriate to their stage of development.
The impact of Collective Worship, and the ways in which it is an expression of a school’s distinctive Christian vision, is at the heart of the SIAMS schedule. Therefore, Collective Worship should be inclusive, invitational and inspiring for those of all faiths and none. It should embody the school’s distinctive Christian vision and ethos, allowing for the celebration of this within the school community.
Further information is available in this Collective Worship Guidance in a Church of England School and in the new guidance on “Collective Worship in Church of England Schools” published by the Church of England Education Office 2021.
Below you can find some helpful resources:
Statement of Entitlement for Collective Worship
Collective Worship Exemplar policy
Notes on formulating Collective Worship Policy