Collective Worship
Collective Worship at Wanstead Church School
At Wanstead Church School our vision is to empower every child to approach life with wisdom, compassion and strength so that they can shine in everything they do. We believe that Jesus is the light of the world and that we are called upon to let our light shine before others (Matthew 5:16).
Collective Worship takes place on a daily basis for all the children in the school. It is not simply a statutory duty in our school, it is the heartbeat of our school, central to our ethos and is fully supported by all staff and governors. It makes an important contribution to the overall spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the whole school community.
We comply fully with the legal requirements of Collective Worship, including that no child is withdrawn from Collective Worship, apart from those whose parents exercise the right of withdrawal by writing to the Headteacher.
Collective Worship at Wanstead Church School is fully Inclusive of all children and staff. This means that while our worship is always a Christian worship, care is taken by those facilitating worship to avoid assuming faith of those participating, listening or watching. It is always Invitational, meaning there is no compulsion to "do anything". For example, participants will always be invited to sing and pray, rather than being directed to do so. Collective Worship at Wanstead Church School aims to be Inspiring to the children and adults in that it aims to motivate all members of our school community into action.
Organisation
Collective Worship at Wanstead Church School runs in a three-year cycle, co-written by the Rector and the Headteacher. The weekly implementation of the planned themes comes to life as follows*:
- Inspiration: on a Monday the Headteacher introduces the theme through drama, music, art or other engaging vehicle.
- In depth: on a Tuesday, a member of the clergy leads Collective Worship and takes participants into the detail of the relevant Bible story.
- Challenge: on a Wednesday the Deputy Headteacher invites participants to consider how the week's theme could impact on their own life.
- Singing: on a Thursday the teachers lead Collective Worship on rotation. They engage participants in a detailed study of a song/songs that link to the week's theme.
- Celebration: on a Friday the Headteacher leads a reflection on the week and celebrates the achievements of the children linked to the theme of the week and the school's values. Parents are always invited to attend on a Friday.
*please note this schedule occasionally changes, for example in weeks where there are key Christian calendar events such as Epiphany or Ash Wednesday. On these occasions there is a Eucharist for all staff and children and parents are warmly invited to attend.
16 Let the teaching of Christ live in you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and strengthen each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
(Colossians 3:16)