1. SCHOOL POLICY FOR: Collective Worship.

Responsible person: Headteacher.

Date adopted: 01.07.02 Review by: biannually.

Date amended:

2. DEFINITION.

At Windmill, worship has to do with worth and valuing things that have worth. It is an activity in which our school community, or group within our school community, comes together in order to remind itself of, and to reflect upon, those values and beliefs which lie at the heart of our community and to which we aspire.

Through worship we aim to help our children come to awareness of and an understanding about the spiritual, about God, self, other people, the world and the meaning and purpose of life.

3. STRUCTURE.

Acts of worship at Windmill take place on a daily basis and will be broadly Christian in outlook. We shall hold our acts of worship as a whole school and in key stage and class assemblies.

The worship is usually planned around a central theme. These themes usually last for a term (see Assembly Planner).

The Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher usually lead the act of worship held on a Monday morning when the whole school comes together. Other acts of worship are lead by Key Stage Managers, Teachers, and visiting speakers or, in the case of Class Assemblies, by the children themselves.

Children will be expected to enter and leave our school halls in a quiet and reflective manner. Teachers will promote this behaviour at every opportunity and will act as role models at all times.

In order to assist the creation of this reflective mood, music is played as the children both enter and leave the halls.

4. PARTICIPATION.

As in all aspects of learning at our school, we firmly believe that active participation as well as focused listening is an essential part of collective worship. Within our acts of worship we encourage participation through

· Songs, hymns and music

· Sacred and secular readings and personal experience

· Story, drama and poetry

· Art and dance

· Prayers

· Ritual actions

· Stillness and silence

· The spoken word.

Songs and hymns will usually be displayed on the overhead transparency, though at times children will sing from memory.

Parents may choose to withdraw their children from acts of worship. Before doing so they will be asked to discuss their preferences with the Headteacher and to set them down in writing. This is explained in the school prospectus.

For those children who are withdrawn from acts of worship, we shall endeavour to provide a place where they can think and prepare themselves for the day ahead. There will be opportunities for quiet reading and other similar activities. An adult will supervise such children.

All staff also have the right to withdraw from daily acts of worship. Should any member of staff avail themselves of this right, they are still expected to transport their class to and from whichever hall the act of worship is featured in.

5. CONTENT and THEMES.

Within our acts of worship we strive to foster the spiritual development of our children.

We believe that spiritual development is about

· Beliefs

· Awe, wonder and mystery

· The meaning and purpose of life

· The relationships between belief and behaviour

· Creativity

· Feelings and emotions

· Self-knowledge.

The themes for our acts of worship will be based upon the following Christian values:

· Love

· Peace

· Self-sacrifice

· Commitment

· Courage

· Forgiveness

· Justice

· Morality.

The contexts in which we will set these values will include:

· Myself and my family

· Our school

· Our community

· Our country and traditions

· The Bible and other holy books.

6. RESONSIBILITIES.

The Headteacher and Manager for R.E. and Acts of Worship will make all the arrangements for collective worship after consultation with the governing Body.

The Key Stage Managers organise rotas for Teachers to organise acts of worship. These rotas operate on a termly basis.

The Manager for R.E. and Acts of Worship arranges all visiting speakers.

The Music Subject Manager plans and organises the music to be played during acts of worship.