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.
Key SIAMS question:
- The ways in which collective worship is an expression of the school’s Christian vision
If you have any specific questions around collective worship, please contact Debbie Helme, our Strategic Lead for RE and School Christian Character.
Church of England Collective Worship Guidance
The following documents are intended as support and information for collective worship leaders.
Diocese of Gloucester Model Policy for Collective Worship
Diocese of Gloucester Collective Worship Guidance Materials
Explore Collective Worship Series
For ideas for getting to grips with Anglican Liturgy and ready to go collective worship ideas on unusual themes, look at the following resources published by Jumping Fish, our very own publishing arm.
Explore The Language of Spirituality in Collective Worship
There is various training support available for collective worship:
Bespoke In-School MOTs
Collective Worship MOTs are an exploration and discussion of worship within the school and include discussion, identifying gaps and suggesting ideas for improvement. It will particularly focus on exploring the ways in which collective worship is an expression of the school’s Christian vision and consider how effective the school is in reflecting the Church of England Guidance Document.
To request this training please enter the details in the attached request form. A member of the team will be in touch with you within 10 working days after receipt of the form.
To make specific in school training requests from our menu of options, please enter the details in the attached request form. A member of the team will be in touch with you within 10 working days after receipt of the form.
In School Training Request Form – Click here
Fresh Ideas for Collective Worship & Spirituality
For Headteachers, school leaders, clergy, governors.
Tuesday 14 March 2023 at 10.00am-2.30pm
Venue: Discover DeCrypt, Southgate Street, Gloucester, GL1 1TP
Drawing on experience from across our family of schools, this training will provide fresh ideas for your collective worship. From tips to help children lead and evaluate worship through to celebrating spirituality—we hope there will be something fresh for everyone!
Booking deadline: Tuesday 28 February 2023
Cost: £75.00 per delegate
New National Collective Worship Guidance
Worship Workshop is an exciting free on-line resource for schools, containing songs, musical scores, ideas of worship themes, carefully selected Biblical texts and ideas for prayers.
The website is available at: www.worshipworkshop.org.uk.
