Legal Requirements
There has been no significant change in the law about collective worship since the Education Reform Act of 1988 or the Education Act of 1996. Our daily Act of Collective Worship is in accordance with the religious character of our Academy as part of the ODST Corporation of Schools. "Worship will be - appropriate to the age, aptitude and family backgrounds of pupils, - provided in a variety of settings, groupings and timings, with a variety of leaders." (DFES)
Collective worship can vary in content and includes stories, drama, songs, visitors, videos and art. The majority of our sessions reflect the board tradition of Christian belief with regular opportunities to explore festivals and beliefs of other religions. Music is frequently used to welcome children into the gathering and provide them with a time for calm and reflection. The use of prayer is regularly included and children will be invited to join in with the prayer by saying ‘Amen’ at the end or to choose to use the time as a personal quiet reflection.
Each term a value is selected to explore in detail and this forms the basis of the collective worship for that term. During 2018-19 the values are: thankfulness, trust, perseverance, justice, service and truthfulness. Links to Christianity, including Bible stories, will be made as well as links to other religions and general daily life. As an example, some of the resources being used during Term 1 for thankfulness are:
Splat says thank you
Thank you Mr Panda
Sharing songs that make us feel happy
Making thankful treasure boxes
Creating a whole school display of things we are thankful for
St Paul's letter to the people of Ephesus
Harvest around the world
Whole school Harvest Festival at St Peter & Paul's Church in Botley
Children regularly plan and deliver collective worship, linking to the value of the term. In term 1 these children from Year 5 shared information about their recent visit to a Mosque.
For a weekly timetable of how Collective Worship is organised please click here.
For more information about Collective Worship please contact Amy Pearce, Headteacher.
