Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools Reflective Pools

Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools

Produced by THE LONDON BOROUGH Bromley SACRE Reflective Pools Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools

Introduction 1

Definitions of Collective Worship 2

Brief definitions of spiritual, social, moral 3 and cultural Development

The Law on Collective Worship 4 Special Schools Post 16

Collective Worship policy 6

Planning Collective Worship 7 Collective Worship in the class or form room Use of themes Variety of content and presentation

Reflection and Prayer 11

Inviting visitors to Collective Worship 12

Evaluating Collective Worship 13

Useful resources 15

Appendices: 16 A Sparks and Inspirations Festivals and Events in the school year B Themes for Collective Worship C Group planning sheet D Daily planning sheet and evaluation E Model for a collective worship policy F Rochester Diocese guidance for church schools 1

Introduction

Bromley SACRE saw the need for this guidance as a result of discussions during their visits to schools each term and from the responses to the RE and CW school self review documents. The working party comprised Martin Sweet, chair of SACRE, Rev Michael Camp, Rae Michaelis, Christopher Town, Cllrs Anne Manning and Peter Hobbins and the RE consultant Penny Smith-Orr. The working party met on four occasions and has used material from the Croydon and Lambeth guidances, Redbridge SACRE, Rochester Diocese and Ann Lovelace to whom thanks go. This is a guidance booklet about collective worship in schools and not about ‘assembly’. Throughout the country pupils and staff still refer to ‘going to assembly’ when in fact assembly and collective worship are two different and distinct activities. An assembly is a gathering together for the purpose of giving information, notices, reiterating school rules etc. Collective worship is the part of that gathering together where an act of worship takes place. Between the two activities, which are usually held together for logistic reasons, it is a good idea to have a pause or to introduce something like a picture or candle for pupils to use as a focus, so that it is clear when assembly finishes and collective worship begins. As you will see in the legal section, it is still the law that pupils shall take part in a daily act of worship, although this can take place at any time of the day. In the busy school timetable this gathering together is an important community activity, which all the learning community take part in, and should not be squeezed out or used as a reason for extra free time. This guidance gives information on the law, policy and planning. Although this is not a book of ideas for collective worship you may find that Appendix A, “Sparks and Inspirations: Festivals Through the Year” and the lists of possible themes (appendix B) give you inspiration. The Working Party on World Religions in Education produces the SHAP Calendar of Religious Festivals, which has information about the festivals of 12 major religions. schools, both VC and VA, are advised to refer to the Guidelines from Rochester Diocese in Appendix F Finally, two quotes which might help to put this document into perspective.

‘The challenge consists in creating an experience which neither compromises belief but rather recognises the integrity and dignity of all members of the school community; which is essentially educational and stimulates the possibility of reflecting inwardly, sharing outwardly and living upwardly’. Angela Wood

‘Our fragmented society needs a whole series of reflective pools, places where the very deepest issues of life and death may be explored and understood away from the market place’. Terry Waite 2 Reflective Pools

Definitions of Collective Worship

The word worship comes from the Anglo Saxon word ‘weorthscipe’ and can be defined as either ‘the adoration of God or a Supreme Being’ or ‘to honour, value and praise someone or something of worth’. In the context of worship in school, the aim is to provide experiences which deepen the inner senses and engender feelings of self worth and the uniqueness of the individual. Giving pupils a purpose and meaning to life, awe and wonder of the natural world, reverence and respect and a sense of belonging to the community. By bringing pupils into contact with worship, they can be enabled to learn how to ‘be’ in worship. Worship can complement RE in the same way, for instance, that experiments complement theoretical teaching in science. Seen in this way it becomes a genuinely educational enterprise. Your aim, therefore, is to create an atmosphere, in which genuine worship may take place. In such an atmosphere each pupil may encounter worship in a way which values their own beliefs and which gives them an opportunity to make a personal response. Pupils should be encouraged to reflect on the ways in which worship affects the values, attitudes and spiritual dimensions of themselves, the learning community and society. It should be a celebration and a time for reflecting on things that have worth and meaning to the community. The ‘collective’ part can take on different meanings, depending on the setting. Ideally the whole school, all pupils and staff, would be involved. However, it is often not possible to gather all at once and so there are variations in numbers, from small tutor groups, to a class, to a year group, up to the whole learning community. The 1988 Education Act defines a school group as any group or combination of groups in which pupils are taught or take part in other school activities: this is not a group reflecting particular religious beliefs. The main point being that all members should be involved in some way in a daily act of worship, unless withdrawn by parents for reasons of conscience. (See the law section) To give pupils the message that this is an important time of the school day, adults should also be involved, rather than using the time as a ‘free period’. No pupil should be kept out of the worship time for extra reading or tidying up, as this is a shared time when the community affirms its worth and togetherness by exploring its shared humanity. Within your collective worship policy, it is a good idea to have a definition of collective worship that is true to your own school ethos and to make that definition as open as possible, to include all members of the learning community, whether they have a faith or not. (See policy writing) Taking part in the collective worship is more than passively attending; the content of the worship should elicit some response from the pupils. Ofsted assesses the contribution of collective worship to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in the school. The celebration of success and worth is important and should be an integral part of school life. Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools 3

Brief definitions of Spiritual, Moral, Social & Cultural Development

Ofsted reports on collective worship within the context of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Inspectors assess the extent of the support and enhancement of the corporate life of the school and the importance of celebrating that which is worthy and good within the school. The following accounts of what is involved in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are offered as suggestions for schools to adapt as they wish. To promote pupils’ spiritual development is actively to encourage: l the growth of pupils’ inner life, their capacity to relate to others and their non-material well-being; for example, their self-respect, their creativity, their will to achieve their full potential and their ability to ask, and try to find answers to life’s major questions, including questions about the existence and nature of God; l pupils’ acquisition of the knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and qualities they need to foster their own inner lives and non-material well- being throughout life. To promote pupils’ moral development is actively to encourage: l pupils’ understanding of the difference between right and wrong, the will to do what is right and their willingness to consider others with concern and compassion; l pupils’ acquisition of the knowledge, understanding, skills, qualities and attitudes they need to do what is right and to cope with moral conflict. To promote pupils’ social development is actively to encourage: l pupils’ understanding of the responsibilities and rights of being a member of families and various communities, local, national and global; l pupils’ acquisition of the knowledge, understanding, skills, qualities and attitudes they need to live up to these responsibilities and promote these rights. To promote pupils’ cultural development is actively to encourage: l pupils’ understanding of the cultural influences that affect them and others, a sense of belonging to local, regional, national and global cultures, and their appreciation and response to a range of aesthetic experiences; l pupils’ acquisition of the knowledge, understanding, skills, qualities and attitudes they need to understand, appreciate and contribute to their own and different cultures. 4 Reflective Pools

The Law on Collective Worship

The Education Reform Act of 1988 sets out the law regarding collective worship and Circular 1/94 provides further guidance. The law states that collective worship in schools should aim to: l provide the opportunity for pupils to worship God l consider spiritual and moral issues and to explore their own beliefs l encourage participation and response, whether through active involvement in the presentation of the worship or through listening to and joining in the worship offered l develop a community spirit, promote a common ethos and shared values, and reinforce positive attitudes. Collective worship is intended to be appropriate for, and to include, all pupils attending a school, regardless of their own personal faith. Collective worship in schools differs from the corporate worship of believers of a particular faith. Parents have a right to withdraw their child from collective worship on the grounds of religious conscience. The child should attend the ‘assembly’ part of the proceedings, i.e. the general school notices and information, but can then withdraw from the worship. Parents might wish to provide some material from their own faith for the child to study. Teachers also have the right of withdrawal on grounds of religious conscience, but not on grounds of needing some free time! It is not always possible for the whole school to gather in one place, although it is desirable to try to do this at least once a week. Collective worship can take place within the classroom or tutor group, it can be a single class, a year group, a key stage or the whole school community. Collective worship should be appropriate to the family backgrounds, ages and aptitudes of the pupils in each school. The head teacher must determine this after consultation with the governing body. If a school is found to be failing to meet statutory requirements, governors must draw up a suitable action plan. l The responsibility for arranging collective worship at a voluntary or foundation school rests with the governing body after consultation with the head teacher. l The responsibility for arranging collective worship at any other maintained state school rests with the head teacher after consultation with the governing body. l The majority of acts of worship over a term must be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character (character not content) i.e. which reflects the broad traditions of Christian belief and not distinctive of any particular Christian denomination. It is not necessary for every act of worship to be wholly or broadly Christian. This does not apply to Church schools, where the worship must be wholly Christian and denominational. Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools 5

l During a term a school may have acts of worship which include elements which are wholly Christian, those that are broadly in the tradition of another faith, for instance when celebrating a festival such as Diwali or Eid, and some where elements are drawn from a number of different faiths. You can take Christian characteristics that are shared by other faiths and use these as your base and bring ideas and festivals of other faiths to the pupils’ attention. l During collective worship there must be a time of quiet reflection or prayer, which is an opportunity for pupils to reflect inwardly in their own way. All acts of worship should take place on the school premises. Community and controlled schools that wish to hold an act of worship off the premises, i.e. a church carol service at , may do so in addition to the statutory daily act of worship on school premises. The governing bodies of foundation, aided and special agreement schools may organise worship elsewhere on special occasions.

Post 16 arrangements

DfES Circular 1/94 states that all pupils registered in schools between the ages of 5 and 18 should take part in a daily act of collective worship. This means that pupils who are still in school for post 16 studies should be provided with a daily act of collective worship which they should attend, unless they have withdrawn from collective worship on grounds on religious conscience; pupils doing post 16 studies in a college of further education have different arrangements. What should special schools do about providing Collective Worship?

DfES Circular 1/94 Annex B expresses the law in relation to the involvement of special school pupils in collective worship. In terms of equality of opportunity for pupils in special schools, unless there are reasons relating to space or equipment that cannot be overcome, then special schools should follow the law in the same way as mainstream schools. It is sometimes thought that special schools do not have to provide collective worship, due to the difficulty for gathering together large numbers of non- ambulant pupils. However as collective worship can take place in various groupings, as explained in the section on worship in the class or form room, special schools do have to provide an act of collective worship each day. 6 Reflective Pools

Collective Worship Policy

Collective worship should have its own policy and be treated as a separate issue to the religious education carried out in school. As with any other school policy, the collective worship policy should be devised to suit your school and its needs, while also adhering to the legal requirements that are specific to collective worship. The policy needs to be a working document that is practical, relates to and has a similar format to other school policies. (Appendix E) It should not be too long a document and should consist of: l A philosophical statement. l The legal requirements, including the right of withdrawal by parents and teachers. l Time*: at what time collective worship will take place each day and for how long. l Content of each day and approach i.e. praise through song, visitor, teacher led, praise, class presentation etc. l Planning: who is to plan the worship, the themes to be used and the resources and books to be used. l How staff, pupils and visitors contribute to collective worship l Music: planning and type, e.g. Live music, selection of CDs classical, modern, jazz, religious. Singing, traditional or modern, choir/whole school. l How a record of the themes and content will be kept l Information for parents on the right to withdraw their child from collective worship, what provision the school is able to make and what the parent might provide for the withdrawn child l Information on the staff right of withdrawal l Future plans and date of review l Not essential, but helpful as an appendix, is a planning pro-forma for members of staff so that planning and delivery are consistent. (Appendix D)

* There is no nationally agreed length of time for collective worship but 15 minutes is usually a suitable length. Collective Worship can be held at any time during the school day. Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools 7

Planning Collective Worship

Within the school, there should be a named co-ordinator for collective worship. Often this will be the head teacher or the religious education coordinator. It should be noted that religious education and collective worship are not synonymous and, although there will be links between the content of the agreed syllabus and collective worship themes, it should not automatically fall to the RE co-ordinator to deal with collective worship. While having a member of staff in overall charge of collective worship, ideally it should be planned jointly and led by different members of staff throughout the term, to show that it is a meaningful act undertaken by your school community. The best collective worship sessions are those that are planned thoroughly with shared ideas and responsibility. Appendix D can be used as a group planning sheet, pinned up in the staff room, which gives everyone a chance to contribute. Appendix C is a sheet that can be used for planning each daily event. As collective worship consists of a group of people coming together at an appropriate time, in an appropriate place intentionally to focus upon things of worth and value for the group, you should indicate the general features of: l A sense of special time l A sense of special place l The intention of focusing on matters of worth ‘beyond the everyday’ l A sense of occasion. It should also be educational, and planned as an explicit and implicit learning experience. It should contribute to the education of the pupils and facilitate spiritual growth and respect for each other’s religious beliefs and practices. This may be done by evoking the sense of beauty, awe, wonder or feelings of pride, pity, sharing or by exploring the spirituality of life and experience. l Collective worship should be a specifically planned activity l Clear forward plans should be available, for at least a term in advance l Planning sheets should be kept in a file to show what has already been covered l Major festivals should be approached from a variety of angles, perhaps on a three year cycle. l There should be an opportunity to monitor and evaluate the school’s provision for collective worship.

Collective Worship in the class or form room

Although the ideal practice would be to conduct collective worship with the whole school present this is not always possible, particularly in secondary schools. Collective worship can be carried out in the classroom or during form 8 Reflective Pools

time, and can be an equally enriching time for the participants, as long as it is a carefully planned activity. It is important to make sure that the general features of good collective worship, as above, are adhered to, particularly the sense of occasion. It does not need to be as long as the whole school worship, between 5 and 10 minutes of ‘special’ time set aside should be enough. Some schools have a bell or gong that is rung to mark the beginning and end. Putting up a picture or an overhead transparency for the pupils to focus on, or lighting a candle, are also ways of indicating that this is a special time within the classroom setting. Collective worship in the classroom or with a form group can be more intimate than with a larger group of pupils and the pupils can be encouraged to ask and answer questions or lead the worship themselves. It is advisable that the same theme is kept throughout the school and some guidance on this from the co-ordinator would be useful for teachers, i.e. a pack with the current theme, some ideas on how to expand on it and some ideas for the prayer or reflection to be used. The important part of collective worship is the prayer or reflection and the short time given for pupils to think quietly. Some schools have a thought for the day or a school prayer which can be used during this sort of worship. If the planning sheet (appendix C) is put up in advance in the staff room, teachers can all contribute ideas towards the content of the worship time. The decision to undertake collective worship in class or forms rooms should be discussed with all staff and the importance of this time of the day made clear. The advantages and disadvantages should also be discussed and solutions agreed.

Potential advantages; l Collective worship can be organised at any time during the day to meet the needs of each particular group; l no time is lost from the timetable in travelling around the school and waiting for large groups to gather together; l the theme for the week can be developed in a way that is most appropriate to this group by a teacher who knows them well enough to make the theme most relevant to them; l the atmosphere can be more personal and sensitive to pupils’ needs l pupils can be taught the skills of reflection l members of the group can be encouraged to share personal experiences and ask questions to seek clarification of issues in order to help them to relate the theme to their lives. Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools 9

Potential disadvantages; l Teachers may feel embarrassed if they want to opt out - schools will need to organise this with great care to be sensitive to the rights of all teachers. l If a large proportion of staff opt out it may be too complicated to organise l It may be difficult to find alternative arrangements for pupils whose parents withdraw them from collective worship, particularly if the whole school has collective worship timed for the same time of day. l Slippage of time through the day may mean that the collective worship time slips out of the day altogether. l Monitoring compliance and quality may be difficult. l Teachers need to be very clear of what is, and is not, acceptable in terms of confessional approaches and anxieties regarding indoctrination.

The Use of Themes

A theme can be a word or phrase or picture which acts as a trigger. Your choice of theme could last for one day, a week, a half term or the length of a festival e.g. Lent. However, one theme used for too long can become boring. Appendix B is a list of possible themes but is clearly not exhaustive. A good choice of theme would: l Invite reflection, opening up matters of spiritual worth and value l Be multi dimensional and able to be developed in different ways l Be attractively worded, for instance using alliteration i.e. ‘Festivals of Food and Fasting’ l Be relevant to the audience, connected to something they have heard of l Be appropriate.

Variety of content and of presentation

This can include: l Different presenters l Visitors from different faiths l Outside groups l Artefacts l Stories l Music, including singing both traditional hymns and modern worship songs. l Screen projection l Video clips l Focal points e.g. a picture or candle. 10 Reflective Pools

The pupils should also be involved in a meaningful way: l Being encouraged to ask and answer questions l Acting a story l Miming to a story which is read by the leader l Reading l Pupils’ artwork can be turned into an OHT for reflection time l Poems or prayers written by pupils can be read out l Sometimes the pupils themselves can be the leader/presenters.

It is a good idea to have a different type of collective worship for each day of the week: l Led by a visitor l Led by the head teacher l Led by a member of staff l Led by a pupil or small group of pupils l Led by a whole class* l Praise of achievements l Praise through song (hymn practice can be turned into collective worship by using the words of a hymn as a prayer or reflection).

*Of the above the one to be very careful with is the whole-class led collective worship. It must be remembered that this is the time for the community to come together in an act of worship and should not degenerate into a ‘show and tell’ session of all that the class has learnt this term. If it is your practice to invite parents to this event, it must be made clear to them that this is your collective worship time and not a show or exhibition of work. This is an opportunity for the RE syllabus work to link to collective worship. Pupils could act out a story they have heard, ‘hot seat’ a character from a book of inspirational writing or discuss the artefacts associated with a religion or a festival. Pupils could read from their own sacred book, compose their own prayers or make up a ‘Thought for the Day’ or “Week’, for the school to reflect on. Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools 11

Reflection and Prayer

As mentioned previously, there must time for silent prayer/reflection during collective worship for it to comply with legal requirements. Pupils must be allowed to respond in ways that are appropriate to them. The leader of the collective worship must respect the variety of faiths and, therefore, mainly Christian based prayer is not always suitable. We cannot pressurise pupils into praying, therefore you need to think of different strategies to introduce this part of the collective worship. The leader should make it clear when the time to be silent has come. This can be done in a number of ways: l The leader can say ‘I am going to say a prayer from the...... faith now and I want you to listen and think about what I am saying’. l ‘I am going to say some words found in the inspirational writings of the...... community which I want you to think about quietly’ l ‘Now, while we are quiet, I would like you to listen to the words of a well known prayer’ l ‘I would like you to either say a quiet prayer now or think quietly about what we have heard this morning’ l Pupils could be trained that a gong, chime or Indian bells are an indication of the beginning and end of a time of silent reflection l Lighting a candle could also be a sign that this is a time of silent reflection l Using an overhead projector with a suitable image for pupils to focus on. Different faith communities pray in different ways and in different positions, telling pupils to close their eyes and put their hands together may therefore not be suitable. It may be better to tell pupils to sit quietly and comfortably and to suggest that it may help to either close their eyes or focus on a visual aid you have chosen. It should be remembered that collective worship is made by the gathering together of the personal responses of all those present and not the repetition of prayers or by use of a particular name for the deity. If each person has the opportunity to make their own response then no one is excluded by their religious or non religious attitudes and beliefs. 12 Reflective Pools

Inviting Visitors to Collective Worship

Having a visitor involves some preparation on the part of the collective worship co-ordinator but is worth the effort for the added interest a new perspective brings to the pupils. A visitor can affirm pupils, particularly if they are of a minority faith in the school or community. They can demonstrate the idea of faith to those who have none and can explain a celebration or festival from a personal point of view. If your visitor is a leader from a faith then they may bring vestments or artefacts and explain their use and meaning. A visitor may also be a councillor; a school governor; a parent or one of the groups that bring prepared collective worship to schools. There are a variety of contributions a visitor can make to collective worship and a relationship with the school can be built up over some time if the visitor becomes a regular contributor.

Points to consider: l Correct title and means of addressing the visitor l The understanding by the visitor that they are not there to proselytise l Resources or materials the visitor may need l Sensitivity shown towards artefacts from the visitor’s religion l The expectation that pupils will listen respectfully and attentively l Visiting speakers should not be expected to lead the whole worship alone l The visitor should be publicly thanked for their contribution at the end. l There are a variety of types of contribution a visitor can make

Information to be given to a visitor: l An explanation of the nature of collective worship l the theme of the proposed worship l particular subject matter l approach l age of the pupils l length of the worship l whether they will be expected to lead prayers

Visitors should be greeted on arrival and shown the arrangements, afterwards it is nice to offer refreshments and to give some feedback on their contribution. It is good practice to arrange for a letter of thanks to be sent, maybe from some of the pupils, particularly if you want the visitor to come back on another occasion. Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools 13

Evaluating Collective Worship

Self-evaluation helps you to focus on an aspect of school life and as a community to set shared goals. Internal self evaluation should be a built- in and on-going process which staff and pupils are happy to use, and which they believe will bring benefits and enhanced performance leading to school improvement. Evaluation of the points here can take place at any time. Evaluation of individual daily collective worship can be built into the planning sheet as in the example in Appendix D. Things to consider when evaluating collective worship: Time l Is the programme carefully planned with themes, music and a time for prayer or reflection? l No set time limit but generally 15 minutes is an acceptable time allocation. Aims Does your collective worship: l Contribute to personal development? l Foster a corporate identity? l Enrich emotional responses by giving a sense of a ‘special’ occasion and focusing on matters of worth which are beyond the ‘everyday’? l Enhance spiritual growth?

Balance l Is the content of collective worship a balance of Christian teachings from the Bible, celebration and festival, teachings from other faiths and issues relating to spiritual, moral, social and cultural education, matching the ethos of the school? l Is it educational, inclusive and enjoyable? l Are you giving the pupils a message that this is a very important time of the school day when all members of the community attend? l Is there a time when success and achievement is celebrated? Is there a variety of leadership of collective worship? e.g. head teacher, staff, visitors or pupils? l Is there a focus for worship with a clearly defined break between worship and an assembly? 14 Reflective Pools

Outcomes l A feeling of being part of a community is engendered. l Within the learning community there is an understanding and respect for each other l The aims have been achieved

Resources l Planning sheet ( appendix C/ D) l Suitable music CDs and live music l Words for songs l Pictures l Candles/artefacts for pupils to focus on

Links l With other events or celebrations in the school l Back to the school religious education programme. Although religious education should be treated separately from the collective worship programme, it is good practice to link some of the learning from the religious education syllabus into collective worship l Are pupils of all faiths esteemed by mention of their festivals? Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools 15

Useful Resources

There are numerous books with The following publications are ideas for collective worship for both recommended as useful for giving you primary and secondary schools. ideas that you can expand on, or ready Many of these follow a format of made sessions that the pupils can take hymn, story, reflection, and hymn. part in. However, throughout this guidance Assembly Solutions the advice has been to make by Ann Lovelace collective worship special, different ISBN 043530237-x and to make it something that the pupils will remember and, hopefully, More Practical Assemblies put into practice in their lives. by Ann Lovelace ISBN 043530241 8 There are several good web sites Something to Think About that have ideas for collective BBC publications worship. ISBN 0563350148 The National Society The School Assembly File Culham Both primary and secondary have some RE Today good starting point ideas. Scripcon Re-xs.ucsm.ac.uk/assemblies Shared Values by Chris Wright www.transformingworship.org.uk ISBN 1898737193 Reflections edited by Rosemary Rivett RE Today publications The RE Centre at Bishop Justus ISBN 1904024-07-6 CE Secondary school is open on Special Times, Primary School Assemblies Wednesdays and has a range of by Michael Dew Collective Worship resources for ISBN 0-86347222 schools to use. (Tel: 0208 315 8142) ‘Primary Assembly File’ and ‘Secondary Assembly File’ Optimus Publications/Electric Word. Telephone 0845 450 6404 Christian Assembly File (particularly for Church Primary Schools but useful for worship on Christian Themes in Community schools.) Optimus Publications/Electric Word. Telephone 0845 450 6404 Assemblies Across Faiths also by Optimus Reflective Pools

Sparks and Inspirations Appendix A Festivals and events throughout the year that might yield valuable material for Collective worship

Some festivals from all faiths fall on different days each year, following the cycle of the moon and so are not fixed. The dates of Muslim festivals move backwards through the year, so these are not included in the table below. These include the journey of the Prophet to Jerusalem and the Ascension; Ramadan; Eid-ul-Adha, and the birthday of the prophet Muhammad. For further information about festivals consult your local religious communities or use the SHAP calendar

Month Major Christian Other Christian Festival days of Other anniversaries Festivals Commemorations other faiths and events

September 29 St.Michael and 14 Holy Cross Day Hindu - Harvest Festival All Angels 21 St.Matthew Janamashtami and Ganesh Chaturthi Jewish Rosh Hashanah; Yom Kippur and Sukkot

October Week of Prayer for Buddhist - Black History Month World Peace Kathina Day 24 United Nations 4 St.Francis of Assisi Hindu - Day 6   William Tyndale Navaratri; Durga One World Week Translator of the Puja Bible Jewish - 12 Elizabeth Fry and Simchat Torah Edith Cavell 20 Sikh 18 St.Luke Anniversary of the Guru 31 Martin Luther Granth Sahib

November 1 All Saints Day 2 All Souls Day Hindu/Sikh/Jain – 5 Guy Fawkes’ day (commemoration of Diwali Remembrance Day the departed) Sikh -Birthday –commemorated 10 St.Justus (first of Guru Nanak both on 11 Nov Bishop of Rochester) and Martyrdom and also (as 30 St.Andrew of Guru Tegh- Remembrance Bahadur Sunday) on the second Sunday

December Advent (begins on 6 St.Nicholas Buddhist– Bohdi 1 World AIDS Day th 4 Sunday before 13 St.Lucy Day 26 Boxing Day Christmas) Jewish - Hannukah 26 St.Stephen 31 Hogmanay, New 25 Christmas 27 St.John year’s Eve 28 The Holy Innocents 29 Thomas Beckett Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools

Month Major Christian Other Christian Festival Days of Other anniversaries

Festivals Commemorations other faiths and events Appendix A

January 6 Epiphany 1 Naming of Jesus Hindu – Saraswati 1 New Year’s Day (Christmas for 15 Martin Luther King Puja 27 Holocaust Day some traditions) 25 Conversion of 5 Sikh – Birthday 18-25 Week St.Paul of Guru Gobind of Prayer for Singh Christian Unity

February 2 Presentation 14 St Valentine Jewish – Tu Fair Trade fortnight of Christ in 17 Janani Luwum B’Shevat 6 Anniversary of the the Temple Chinese New Year Queen’s Accession (Candlemas) to the throne Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent (early March if Easter is late) March Lent continues 1 St.David Baha’I – Naw-Ruz 2nd Monday – Mothering Sunday 17 St.Patrick Jewish – Purim Commonwealth Day th (4 Sunday in 21 First day of spring Lent) 19 St.Joseph Hindu – Birthday 24 Oscar Romero of Ramakrishna Mothers’ Day 25 Anunciation of Holi our Lord to the 25 Anniversary of Blessed Virgin Sikh – Holla the act to abolish Mary Mahalla the slave trade Women’s World day of Prayer April Holy week – 9 Deitrich Bonhoeffer Jewish – Pesach 1 All Fools, Day including Palm 23 St.George Sikh – Baisakhi 21 The Queen’s Sunday; Maundy, Birthday Thursday and 25 St.Mark Hindu – Hanuman Good Friday Jayanti 23 Shakespeare’s Easter Day Chinese Festival of birthday pure brightness – Ch’ing Ming

May Ascension Day 1 Ss Philip and James Baha’I – 1 May Day Pentecost 1 St.Joseph the worker declaration of the 8 VE Day Christian Aid (in some traditions) Bab Week 14 St Matthias Jewish - Shavuot 24 John and Charles Wesley 31 Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth June Corpus Christi 11 St. Barnabas Buddhist – Wesak 12 Anne Frank day 24 St.John the Baptist Sikh - Martyrdom 21 Midsummer 25 Ss Peter and Paul of Guru Arjan solstice Fathers’ Day July 6 Thomas More and Baha’I martyrdom John Fisher of the Bab 3 St.Thomas Rastafarian – Birthday of Haile 15 St.Swithun Selassie 22 St.Mary Magdalene 25 St.James 30 William Wilberforce August 6 Transfiguration 24 St.Bartholomew Hindu – Raksha 6 Hiroshima Day of our Lord 14 Maximillian Kolbe Bandhan 8 VJ Day 15 The Blessed 20 William and 13 Florence Virgin Mary Catherine Booth Nightingale (founders of ) 30 John Bunyan Reflective Pools

Themes Appendix B

For Faith Festivals and annual events from all faiths (see appendix A)

Achievement Easter Inspiration Proverbs Us and Them Advent Education Inspirational Writings Quiet Values Age Endings Jealousy Ramadan Victories Aims Environment Jesus Reflection Virtues Ambition Expectations Journeys Refugees War Anger Explorers Justice Relationships Water Animals Failure Key People Remembrance Ways of Seeing Art Faith Kindness Respect Wealth Authority Families Language Rewards Why are we here? Autumn/Harvest Famous People Laws Risks Wisdom Awareness Fantasy Leaders Roots Wonder Awe & Wonder Fear Lent Rules Words Barriers Feelings Light School Work Beginnings Festivals Listening Seasons Worship Beliefs Followers Loneliness Secrets Xenophobia Birth Food and Fasting Loving Selflessness You and Me Blindness & Sight Forgiveness Loyalty Sharing Youth and Old Age Books Freedom Marriage Sins Zero Tolerance Bridges Friendship Memories Slavery Bullying Future Miracles Sorry Candlemass Gifts and Talents Mistakes Spirituality Candles Giving and Music Strength and Caring Receiving Natural World Weakness Celebration God Naughtiness Sukkoth Challenges Good and Evil Neighbourhood Surprises Change Good News New life Symbols Charity Greed New Year Team work Children Green Living Old and New Temptations Choices Handicap One World Ten Commandments Christmas Happiness Opportunities Thanks Co operation Harvest Ourselves The Gurus Commitment Hearing Outsiders Mool Mantra Communication Heroes and Parables The Past Community Heroines Parents The Unknown Conflict Hobbies Patience The Word Courage Holidays Patriarchs The X Factor Creation Holocaust Patterns Thoughtfulness Customs Homelessness Peace Time Darkness Honesty People Tolerance Day and Night Hope Pilgrimages Trials Death Humility Poetry Trust Diaries Ideals Possessions Truth Disasters Imagination Poverty Turning Points Disciples Influences Praise Ultimate Questions Discovery Injustices Prayer Understanding Diwali Prejudice United Nations Promises Prophets Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools

Group Collective Worship planning sheet Appendix C

Theme Title

Issues to raise

People to involve

Activities to include involve

Experiences to share

Values to reflect on

Stories to use

Music to play

Ideas to explore

Words to use

Opportunities to reflect

Things to tell

Focus

Sayings to repeat

Any other ideas Reflective Pools

Daily Planning Sheet Appendix D

Collective worship should be planned in the same way that schools plan other areas of learning. Each school will have its own planning sheets and methods. Here is a suggestion of the headings for a planning sheet which can also be used as a monitoring sheet. If the school uses the collaborative planning sheet in appendix C in conjunction with this sheet, planning will not be an onerous task.

Theme: Today’s Title:

Date: Age of pupils:

Music: (live/recorded/singing) Story title: Biblical ref if applicable

Organisation:

Resources:

Evaluation:

Excellent Good Average Poor

Atmosphere o o o o

Effectiveness o o o o

Engagement o o o o

Appropriate Content o o o o

Resources o o o o

Age appropriate o o o o

Reflection o o o o Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools

Model for a policy Appendix E

A collective worship policy should match the other policies in the school. Below is a model showing what should be included in your policy;

Collective worship at x School

Aims and Purposes (Reasons and outcomes, a philosophical statement)

Collective worship (The law and particular school expectations and links with other policies)

Organisation of collective worship Timing Leaders Visitors Daily content and Planning (including a planning pro forma) Themes Music (including live and recorded music and singing) Resources

Right of Withdrawal A statement regarding the withdrawal arrangements for both teachers and pupils

Monitoring and Evaluation Records of themes and content Evaluation of quality (what was good/ what could be improved?) Future Plans

Policy review Date approved by the Governing body Date of this policy Date of review Reflective Pools

Worship in a Voluntary Aided or Voluntary Controlled School Appendix F with a religious foundation

Diocesan advice for Church of England Schools By Jan Thompson 2008.

1 What are the legal requirements for Collective Worship in VC and VA schools?

1.1 Worship in Church of England schools is primarily the responsibility of the governing body, rather than the head teacher; although the head teacher will implement the governing body’s policy. 1.2 The Foundation Governors have a particular responsibility to uphold the Church of England foundation of the school, which applies especially to worship in the school. 1.3 Daily Collective Worship must be provided for all registered school pupils on a daily basis, (unless they have been withdrawn by parental request or by sixth formers themselves). Therefore this applies from Reception. It also means that it is illegal to withdraw any pupils from Collective Worship on any other grounds. 1.4 Parents in VA and VC schools may request withdrawal from all or part of Collective Worship. This right must be explained in the school’s prospectus. An entry such as the following may be deemed appropriate: “Daily Collective Worship is provided for all registered pupils at this school. This is seen as an important part of the school day, particularly as we are a Church school. However, parents do have the right to withdraw their children from Collective Worship. If you wish to exercise this right, please would you discuss it with the Head Teacher.” 1.5 Teachers in VC schools have the right to withdraw from Collective Worship on grounds of conscience. Most teachers in VA schools are employed on Church School contracts and therefore they do not have this right. 1.6 It is expected that all teachers will wish to attend daily Collective Worship with their pupils. This is one way for the school to show that worship is central to its life and is important for everyone, not just children. It also makes sense educationally for teachers to know what their pupils are experiencing in Collective Worship. The governing body should make this expectation clear to teachers when they apply to the school and should not allow teachers time out of worship on a regular basis but only in exceptional circumstances. (Teachers are allowed at least 10% out of curriculum time for planning, preparation and assessment. This should not be taken out of Collective Worship.) 1.7 Collective Worship in Church schools may take place in a church building. (NOT just on school premises). Refreshing Collective Worship in Bromley Schools Appendix F

2 What is the nature of Collective Worship in VC and VA Church of England schools?

2.1 Worship should be understood in its religious sense as offering prayer and praise to, and entering into a relationship with, God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 2.2 Worship in a Church school should be Christian. (NOT ‘of a broadly Christian character.’) Worship themes and content should therefore be recognisably Christian and the Bible and prayer should feature prominently. 2.3 ALL worship should be Christian. (NOT ‘the majority of acts of worship in any one term.’) 2.4 All worship in a Church of England school should be Anglican, reflecting the churchmanship of the local parish church in primary schools; and reflecting a wider range of churchmanship in secondary schools. 2.5 In the Anglican Church, worship is the primary context in which Christian learning takes place ie the way people worship guides and gives content to the way they think and the things they believe. Therefore the words used and the actions and context of the worship must be carefully chosen and appropriate both to the theme and the pupils. 2.6 It may be difficult to distinguish Anglican worship from other denominations, since the Church of England is a broad Church with similarities to Protestant Churches at one end of the spectrum and to the Catholic Church at the other. However, the following characteristics may be present:

l Worship themes which reflect the festivals and seasons of the Church’s Year.

l A worship focus using the liturgical colours of the Church’s Year.

l Christian symbols such as a cross and candle(s).

l A wide range of symbolic actions in which the spiritual meaning may be made explicit e.g. an offertory of money collected for charity; offering up pupils’ work in a celebration act of worship.

l A set structure to the act of worship: liturgical greeting; liturgy of the Word (e.g. Bible reading and talk); prayers; liturgical ending (e.g. blessing, dismissal).

l Some set prayers e.g. The Lord’s Prayer, the Grace and blessings.

l Set liturgical responses e.g. Opening Greetings, such as: ‘The Lord be with you.’ R: ‘And also with you.’ ‘This is the day that the Lord has made.’ R: ‘Let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ After the Bible readings, such as: ‘This is the Word of the Lord.’ R: ‘Thanks be to God.’ The prayers may also be broken up with a refrain, such as: ‘Lord, hear us.’ R: ‘Lord, graciously hear us.’ Reflective Pools

3 What are the purposes and benefits of Collective Worship in Church schools?

As well as the acknowledged benefits of Collective Worship in Community Schools, in Church schools it offers the following: 3.1 Opportunities for pupils’ and adults’ spiritual development ie to grow closer to God and to deepen knowledge and understanding of Christian beliefs and spiritual practices. 3.2 Worship reinforces the Christian values of the school. 3.3 Worship helps pupils to understand the influence of on our culture. 3.4 Pupils at a Church of England school should become familiar with Anglican forms of worship, so that they know what to expect in a Church service and how to respond.

4 Should Church School worship include Holy Communion/ the Eucharist?

4.1 The following ideas are from Gloucester Diocese, in their recommended publication ‘Exploring Holy Communion in Primary Schools’ (2007 ISBN 978 0 9556611 1 2. £14). ‘A Eucharist helps:

l to nurture the children’s relationship with God

l to give children a knowledge and understanding of this central act at the heart of Christian life

l to give expression to the strong links between the church school, the parish church and the wider Christian community

l to explore some of the deepest values that the school holds

l to develop the children’s sense of mystery and reverence for God

l to contribute to the development of RE

l to enrich the collective worship of the school.’

4.2 This publication, which we recommend, gives a good case for Church schools going further than just teaching pupils about the Eucharist – by letting them experience it. It looks at issues of planning and also tackles the thorny question of how to involve pupils in this service if they do not receive the sacrament. It recommends full consultation before introducing the Eucharist into school. This should be led by the incumbent. Parents should be kept fully informed. Written and Edited by Penny Smith-Orr, RE Consultant, 2008 Designed by The Upper Room 0 Reflective Pools