Collective Worship

In all Church of England schools, collective worship reflects the traditions of the Church of England and develops learners' understanding of Anglican traditions and practice.

At Chawton CE Primary School we take part in a daily act of Collective Worship, these are mostly as a whole school, but there is also a weekly class worship which gives each class a time to ponder questions and values more deeply. We focus on a value each half term and consider how these might link to our core values of Love, Courage and Fellowship as well as in the wider community.

Occasionally Collective Worships take place outside, using either the playground or the wooded green opposite school. 

While it is a Christian act of worship, we welcome children of Christian faith, other faiths and no faith to our worship and ensure it is planned to enable all children and staff to benefit without compromising their beliefs.

Collective worship in our school gives children and school staff the opportunity to:

• Engage in an act of community
• Express praise and thanksgiving to God
• Be still and reflect
• Explore the big questions of life and respond to national events
• Foster respect and deepen spiritual awareness
• Reflect on the character of God and on the teachings of Christ
• Affirm Christian values and attitudes
• Share each other's joys and challenges
• Celebrate special times in the Christian calendar

Our Collective Worships take many forms. Sometimes they are quiet and reflective; at other times they are loud and interactive. Many different activities help us to give thanks to God and to celebrate being part of our community.

We are incredibly fortunate that we have a weekly Collective Worship led by a member of our clergy team: Rev Lesley, Rev Carrie or Rev Lynn. They also lead us in many celebrations and events throughout the year, such as Harvest Festival, Remembrance Day, Christmas and Easter.

Our Fridays, Collective Worship is a special time where parents are invited to share in our thanks to God and to join in with our celebrations. This is an opportunity to celebrate progress in learning as well as celebrate children who have demonstrated our core values that week. Any member of our school community can nominate children for our Love, Courage and Fellowship awards. 

We use Philosophy for Children ( P4C) to encourage our children to be more reflective, thoughtful and considerate and this strategy is supporting our children across their learning, not just in RE and Collective Worship.

Our Worship Leaders are a small group of children who help to shape our Collective Worships by supporting the teachers in planning, delivering and evaluating our worships.

We also have two year 6 School Council representatives who meet with other year 6 representatives from other Church Schools in the Alton area. 

#Ten Ten Flourishing Project

These project booklets focus on developing spiritual wellness for the school community. This includes active, physical projects, as well as stilling activities.

Our hope and desire is that by the end of the academic year,  our school will have created an outdoor Spiritual Space – be that a Garden, a Sunflower or Willow construction, or just re-thinking and presenting an existing area of the school grounds.

We are aiming to plant hope and reap happiness.