Collective Worship
Collective Worship is an important part of daily school life at Cornerstone Schools.
Each term we focus on a different Christian value to form the basis of our daily worship. We also follow the Church calendar and children learn how the Christian year is marked by festivals such as Christmas, Easter and Pentecost and periods of observance such as Lent.
Each act of worship follows a basic structure of
- Welcome – welcome words are used each time such that they become familiar to the children. A candle is lit on the worship table.
- Learning – the theme or Bible Text is introduced. This may be through a poem, a puppet drama, a video or the like.
- Reflecting – time is spent considering the impact of the day’s theme and children may ask or answer questions. Quiet time and prayer may be used.
- Responding – as the worship comes to an end, those present are encouraged to consider how they are going to engage with the day’s message and what they might do make a difference in the world either individually or as part of the wider school community.
Children also play a large part in leading collective worship with a ministry appointed who take responsibility for setting the scene (music on, alter pulled out, lights dimmed and calling the other classes to worship), opening the workship with words that all children are familiar with and closing the worship at the end.
Parent worship – this is a weekly highlight at each school and is a time when all parents and friends of the school are invited to attend. It is an opportunity for news to be shared, achievements to be recognised (both in school and out) and birthdays to be celebrated.
Special times of worship – the schools mark the major Christian festivals such as Harvest, Christmas and Easter with a service in their respective parish churches. The annual Leavers Service for those in Year 6 is also a major milestone. These services are well attended by the wider community and are led by the children.
Easter Service at East Cowton