Collective Worship

Collective worship is often referred to as the beating heart of a church school as it offers a wonderful opportunity for all members of the community to meet together, explore issues together, think through questions together, and respond to others and, for some, to God.

All Church of England schools should be committed to offering high quality collective worship, recognising and valuing collective worship as central to fostering a sense of community and to expressing the school’s Christian vision.

Collective worship in schools is grounded in the historical past and enshrined in educational law to be ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’. In church schools, this also includes the requirement to reflect the Anglican status of the school as expressed in its trust deed. This liberates those leading collective worship to build on the rich, lived diversity of Anglican tradition and identity. Understanding and reflecting Anglican liturgy is key to this and the education team have developed a range of resources to support schools using liturgy.

Collective worship in our family of schools should be inclusive, invitational and inspiring.

Schools should also intentionally ensure that Collective Worship enables pupils and adults to flourish spiritually. (SIAMS 2023 – IQ3)

If you have any specific questions around collective worship, please contact Debbie Helme, Principal Advisor for School Christian Character.