Worship & Prayer At Immanuel
Worship
At Immanuel & St Andrew we view Worship as an expression of the school’s distinctive Christian vision. It is a daily event at Immanuel and follows the guidance of the SDBE.
In line with SDBE guidelines, Immanuel’s Collective Worship provides everyone with the opportunity to:
- express praise and thanksgiving to God
- reflect on the attributes of God
- reflect on the teachings of Christ
- affirm Christian values and attitudes
- share each other’s joys and challenges
- celebrate special times in the Christian calendar
- foster respect and unity, deepen spiritual awareness
Immanuel & St Andrew is fully compliant with the statutory requirements for Collective Worship. Furthermore the school adheres to the Church of England Education Office ‘Statement of Entitlement’.
The daily act of Collective Worship is a legal requirement in all schools and one that we value highly at Immanuel. In our school, worship reflects the traditions of the Church of England.
Pupils and teachers value the special dimension worship brings to church school life. When asked about what the daily act of worship meant to them, teachers said:
“When we pray we can think of our own family and circumstances. Worship gives us the chance to reflect on our own experiences in life and how can change things to help the children. Singing refreshed our day and makes us feel joyful.”
We are privileged to have support from local clergy in planning and delivering Collective Worship. Members of our local parish church and Holy Redeemer Church in Streatham regularly deliver Collective Worship at the school.
Our Worship Leaders also support staff in delivering Collective Worship and are responsible for welcoming all who attend.
The themes of Collective Worship are based around our Christian values. Each term two values are explored from different perspectives and using different examples. The delivery is deeply Christian in content and is also supported with a time of reflection. Interwoven into the structure are British Values and SMSC work.
Leaders also take opportunities to celebrate festivals through the year, both Christian and those of other faiths. We consider how to ensure all children have the opportunity to develop an awareness and appreciation of the community in which they live.
The weekly structure of worship is outlined:
Monday – Introduction of value, Headteacher
Tuesday – Singing and Reflection, SLT
Wednesday – Key Phase Worship , Senior Leader
Thursday – Focus on the world and current events, Senior Leaders and/or Class Teachers
Friday – Celebrating our school values, SLT
Inclusion and the Right of Parental Withdrawal
Parents have the right to withdraw their children from religious education and collective worship as identified in the Education Act 1944 and in subsequent legislations. Immanuel and St Andrew is a Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School where Christian values and principles underpin the whole curriculum. In order to preserve the distinctiveness of this church school community, we encourage everyone to be involved in the religious education and collective worship. Parents who have concerns about this should discuss them with the Chair of Governors and the Headteacher before their children are admitted to the school.
Prayer
Prayer is an important part of our daily lives at Immanuel. We believe we can talk to God at any time – during our prayer times in class, during formal collective acts of worship but also as part of private, quiet reflection. Times are built into the school day to pray, for example before lunch and at the end of the day. We also have moments of quiet reflection where we pause and are quiet and still. We also encourage children to use free prayer; children use 'PATS' as a reminder that prayer can help them PRAISE - ASK - THANK - SAY SORRY.
Our class prayers for the beginning and end of the day can be found here.
Our Chaplaincy Team and Prayer leaders lead prayers in class together with teachers. They also keep an eye on our class reflection areas and prayer stations around the school. We are planning on developing Spiritual Wellbeing Days throughout the year when everyone (children, staff, parents, governors) can spend time in our prayer spaces. Our Prayer Stations are linked to the Christian calendar or our current value of the month.
We have a school prayer book that is sent home every year and kept in classrooms. We encourage children to add to the prayer corners regularly.
- Our School Prayer
- The Lord’s Prayer
- Grace
- A Prayer for the end of the day
Annual Events
At Immanuel & St Andrew we are proud, not only of our day-to-day curriculum provision but also of the wider enrichment we provide for all children. Staff and children have regular opportunities to further their learning by a wide range of extra-curricular and celebratory events.
There are regular events throughout the year to celebrate festivals in the Christian faith, as well as other religions, such as Easter, Christmas, Eid and Diwali. As a church school, we follow the Church calendar in celebrating different seasons such as Advent and Lent and using these times to provide periods of reflection for children and staff.
Trips
To support their learning in R.E., each class undertakes at least one R.E. focused trip per year. Children have the opportunity to visit a wide range of places of worship within our local community such as local mosques and churches, as well as visits to places more further afield – Southwark Cathedral. We also regularly invite visitors of different faiths to the school to help the children understand the impact faith has on people’s lives.
