Collective Worship
At St Mary Magdalene the daily act of collective worship is viewed as an integral and important part of our every day school life. Collective worship provides us with an opportunity to further develop our relationship with God. It is a time where we come together to share our love of God giving Him glory, honour, thanks and praise.
The Aims of Collective Worship
All staff and governors at St Mary Magdalene aim that children are encouraged to believe that no matter where we are, whatever place we are in, Christ is there with us.
All Acts of Worship in our school follow the format below:
Gather – how we come together, the setting, the environment (quiet, reflective music, lighted candles etc.)
Proclamation of the Word – every act of Worship will centre around at least one text from the Bible, with the reading of the day being the first source. The Word of God will be proclaimed from a Bible.
Respond – The response to the Word may be an action or communal prayer. The action may be drama, music, poetry etc. We will place our needs before God through intercessions/bidding prayers.
Go Forth – Giving the children something to hold on to from the experience of the liturgy that they can take forward into their daily lives.
All Acts of Worship in our school will:
- Give glory and honour to God
- Be a quality activity, fundamental to the life of the school and its Catholic character
- Develop pupils’ skills to enable them to prepare, organise and lead worship rather than always participating or contributing in a token way
- Give pupils positive liturgical experiences, appropriate to their age, aptitude and family backgrounds in order to prepare them for the liturgical life of the Church
At St Mary Magdalene we believe that collective worship in our school community gives us the opportunity:
- To assist parents/carers, the primary educators of their children, in the education and religious formation of their child
- To nurture and celebrate the uniqueness of each individual as a member of God’s family through a worshiping community
- To share in the mission of the Church to make Christ known to all people
- To ensure that the Catholic Faith; the Good News of Jesus Christ, is at the heart of the experience of every member of the school community
- To encourage sensitivity and promote an appreciation of the wonder and mystery of God and His creation
- To provide an environment where all members of the school community, through a variety of opportunities for prayer, are encouraged to deepen their personal relationship with God
- To celebrate Mass with the parish family and foster strong links with the wider community
- To enable pupils to grow in their knowledge of liturgical understanding and celebration
- To develop an awareness, experience and understanding of the place and role of symbols to express feelings and beliefs, e.g., light, water food etc.
- To reinforce prayers which are part of our Catholic tradition
- To ensure all pupils are able to fulfil their God-given talents and be the best they can be
- To create a real sense of belonging and community among pupils, teachers and all staff members
- To ensure spirituality runs through the school curriculum
- To prepare pupils for life in modern Britain and to celebrate the diverse world we live in
All of these opportunities will enable our relationship with God to be deepened and enhanced.
Implementation
A variety of opportunities for worship are provided, including individual prayer, group prayer in both formal and informal styles and settings, and the celebration of the Eucharist which is the centre of worship for the Catholic community. Those organising prayer, liturgies and assemblies encourage our children to contribute their skills, and gifts to the preparation or worship and to participate as actively as possible.
Prayers encourage us to remember that God is at the centre of our lives, at the beginning and end of our days and in the decisions we make. Therefore, the pupils and staff of St Mary Magdalene say prayers at the beginning of the day, before lunchtime and at the end of the day. Prayers are also shared at staff meetings, governors meetings and parent gatherings.
Worship Programme:
- Monday: Key Stage 1 Collective Worship/KS2 Class Liturgies (Key Stage 1 Teachers)
- Tuesday: Whole School Worship and Hymn Practice (Deputy Head)
- Wednesday: Whole School Gospel Worship (Headteacher)
- Thursday: Key Stage 2 Collective Worship/KS1 Class Liturgies (Key Stage 2 Teachers)
- Friday: Whole School Worship and Achievement (Headteacher)
Whole school Worship assemblies take place on Wednesday and Friday. The Wednesday assembly is led by the Headteacher and is centred around the Gospel readings. The Friday assembly is our award assembly which offers us an opportunity to acknowledge and reward children for their achievements both in and out of school. It plays an important part in promoting the ethos of the school which is that all children are valued and all achievements are recognised.
Father Simon, our parish priest, celebrates class Masses in the school with the children, staff and parents every half term. The Parish community of Our Lady of the Rosary are also invited to attend. The pupils attend whole school Masses at our parish church, and on Holy Days of Obligation if they occur in school time. St Mary Magdalene’s pupils contribute to the order of the Mass.
