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'Let your light shine' Matthew 5:16
Collective Worship
Our Mission:
As both a Church of England and a Methodist Church School, our policy for collective worship is set in the context of and gives life to our Christian vision and values. It mirrors the Church of England Education Office guidance for collective worship ‘Inclusive, invitational, inspiring 2021’ and embodies Methodist principles throughout.
We believe that every child is made in the image of God and is unique. It is our responsibility to help them find their gifts and the confidence to let their light shine (Matthew 5:16), so that they can become the best version of themselves.
Our aim, through collective worship, is to bring our school and community together to share, learn, reflect and celebrate. Collective worship is the beating heart of the school and is the foundation in which all is built upon. By creating space to learn, reflect and grow (both as a community and as individuals) we hope that the message and guidance shared in collective worship flows through school’s corridors, into the classrooms, out onto the playground and the wider school community.
Hawkesley’s Elements of Collective Worship:
As a school, we engage with ‘Inclusive, Invitational, Inspiring’ through our pillars of Collective Worship: invitational, global church community, active participation for all and sparks of wisdom.
Invitational:
Our worship is open to all. All of our staff and students are invited to join us for worship daily; this is consistent within our practice. However, there is no compulsion for pupils to do or say anything that makes them uncomfortable. They may engage with the worship offered as much as they would wish to do so. As a church school, we have a distinctively Christian vision and approach to our worship, yet we welcome those of all faiths or no faith to join us. We recognise that each individual will be in a different part of their spiritual journey and that we shape worship to facilitate this. We think carefully and plan ahead the language that we use throughout worship to clarify the invitational nature of worship at Hawkesley.
A Global Church Community:
It is important that – although we meet regularly as a Church school in its entirety – that we share our greater connections with the wider church community. Christians are all connected through worship globally and we provide different opportunities for the students to acknowledge and engage with this. Some examples of this are: sharing the current liturgical colour within the Church calendar, engaging with dilemmas and texts from a range of contexts and backgrounds, listening to music from a wide range of genres and ending our collective worships with different Christian structures, groups and practices from around the globe. We hope that this helps our students and staff realise that they are an important part of a greater and diverse Christian community.
Active Participation for All:
We aim for our worship to be as accessible as possible, within our context. It is important that when shaping worship, we consider the needs and connections of our school context, community, students and staff. We wish to share the message of Christ in an engaging and accessible manner that we empower those with us to take inspiration, guidance and comfort from the teaching and messages shared. An example of how we may explore and engage within worship can be shared in many different ways, such as: role play, song, storytelling, competitions, games and through active discussion with peers and staff. By shaping our worship to meet the needs and context of our community, we aim to make worship as engaging and accessible as possible.
Sparks of Wisdom:
At Hawkesley, we believe that every child is made in the image of God and is unique. It is our responsibility to help them find their gifts and the confidence to let their light shine (Matthew 5:16), so that they can become the best version of themselves. Through collective worship, we aim that our children and staff can leave worship with ‘Sparks of Wisdom’ which will help them to continue to guide them to engage, reflect or learn from the message shared in worship. The ‘spark’ has been chosen as we believe that collective worship is the powerhouse of the school, which can be a key driver to enabling our students to succeed and to Let Their Light Shine.
Collective_Worship_Policy__23-24_.docx
Example Collective Worship PowerPoint Slides:
A Learning Community - The Story of Noah's Ark.pdf
Wisdom - Learning from King Soloman.pdf
Seeing Anew - Serving the Community, The Miracles of Jesus.pdf