Collective Worship

We start each day Monday to Thursday with our Collective Worship. On Fridays we finish the week with Collective Worship so that we can reflect on the week that has passed.

We believe that starting and ending the week with Collective Worship demonstrates the importance that all members of our school community place on this special time.

Through our worship, we aim to engage all pupils through the use of the four spiritual styles:

Word

Emotion

Symbol

Action

These spiritual styles are the different ways that people engage with or express their own spirituality and experience of God.

Each week, a new theme is introduced. These themes include our Christian Values and a range of other ideas and messages relevant to our children’s experiences. Themes can also be responsive to that is happening in the wider world.

Our worship usually follows a weekly pattern:

On Mondays the whole school meet together and the Headteacher introduces the theme for the week. The theme is explored through bible stories and prayer.

On Tuesdays the whole school meets together once again for a choral celebration of the week’s theme. Singing is important to us here at Borden and our school community enjoys engaging with the weekly theme through singing and prayer. 

On Wednesdays we celebrate our Vision and Values; values stickers are awarded to children who have demonstrated Love, Hope and Forgiveness.  Good work and perseverance is also celebrated and rewarded. 

On Thursdays, each class leads their own worship in class. This allows the pupils to engage with the theme in a very personal and specific way and allows pupils the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the message for the week.  Once a month, Father Jane visits us and leads worship.

On Fridays, the whole school comes together once again, to reflect on their thoughts for the theme of the week.  Several times during the year, we join with family and friends for class led worship in the hall.

The children also lead church services throughout the year including: Harvest, Remembrance, Christingle, Easter and Pentecost.

Our pupils are regularly involved in leading whole worship sessions or parts of each one. All classes lead worship at least three times each year and individuals or small groups of children are invited to volunteer to lead additional worship sessions on any of the themes. Pupils enjoy this experience and treat this opportunity with maturity and commitment. Pupils are also involved in the gathering and sending sections of each worship session, sharing bible readings, sharing their own thoughts and reflections and in leading prayers.

We involve all members of the school community in evaluating our worship to ensure that we continue to develop and that our worship has impact on all who attend.

Whilst parents have the right to withdraw a child from worship, our children and staff view this as a special and important part of the school day. We participate with respect and a growing understanding of our own spirituality. Collective Worship provides us with an opportunity to explore our own beliefs, deepen our understanding of God and reflect upon the world around us in a safe an accepting community. We therefore encourage children of all faiths and none to attend.