Worship Overview

Worship at Winmarleigh

Collective Worship is at the heart of daily life at Winmarleigh Church of England Primary School. It is a special time when our school family comes together to worship, reflect, pray, sing and grow together.

Our worship is inclusive, invitational and inspiring. Everyone is welcomed, whatever their faith or wherever they may be on their own faith journey. Children are invited to participate in prayer and reflection, while recognising that they may choose to use this time for quiet thought and stillness.

We want worship to be something our children are actively involved in, rather than something that simply happens around them.

Children Leading Worship

Pupil leadership is an important part of Collective Worship at Winmarleigh.

Our Leadership Team regularly helps to plan and lead worship for the whole school. The children take great pride in sharing their ideas, prayers and reflections with others and in helping our school family explore our Christian values.

Through these opportunities, children develop confidence, responsibility and leadership while deepening their own understanding of worship and faith.

Our child-led worship also provides opportunities to explore events happening in the wider world. Using Picture News as a starting point, children consider current issues through the lens of our Christian values, encouraging thoughtful discussion, compassion and reflection.

Our Christian Values

Each half-term, we focus on a Christian value as part of our two-year rolling programme.

Throughout the half-term, children explore what this value means through Bible stories, the teachings of Jesus, scripture, prayer, reflection and their own experiences.

Most importantly, we encourage children to think about how our Christian values can be lived out – in the way we treat one another, the choices we make and the contribution we make to our school, our community and the wider world.

Our Weekly Worship

We gather for Collective Worship every day, with different members of our school and church community contributing throughout the week.

Monday – Worship with Reverend Gary
Reverend Gary explores our current Christian value within a Christian context, making connections with scripture and the Church calendar where appropriate.

Tuesday – Christian Values Worship
Led by a member of staff, this worship develops our understanding of the half-term's Christian value through stories, reflection, prayer and discussion.

Wednesday – Whole School Worship
A further opportunity for our school family to explore our Christian values, faith and spirituality together.

Thursday – Child-Led Worship
Our Worship Team takes a leading role. Using Picture News and current events as a starting point, children help the school consider important issues thoughtfully and through the lens of our Christian values.

Friday – Celebration Worship
We end our week by coming together as a school family to celebrate. We recognise achievements, give thanks and celebrate the many ways in which our children have demonstrated our values throughout the week.

A Time to Pause, Reflect and Grow

Collective Worship gives us something precious within a busy school day: time to pause.

It gives children and adults opportunities to experience stillness, ask big questions, celebrate, give thanks, pray and reflect upon themselves, others, God and the world around them.

Through worship, we hope our children come to understand that our Christian values are not simply words that we talk about – they are values that we live.