Collective Worship

At St Mark and All Saints we consider collective worship to be an important part of the school day.  An opportunity to reflect and develop the school’s distinctive Christian character but also an opportunity to contribute to the academic achievement, personal development and well-being of pupils and staff.  
  
Aims of our acts of collective worship. 

We aim for our collective worship to:

• Be a daily expression of our school’s Christian vision. 
• Be inclusive, invitational and inspiring for all pupils, staff and parents and visitors  
• Offer the opportunity, without compulsion, to all pupils and adults to grow spiritually through experiences of prayer, stillness, worship and reflection
• Enable all pupils and adults to appreciate that Christians worship in different ways, for example using music, silence, story, prayer, and reflection.
• Help pupils and adults to appreciate the relevance of faith in today’s world, to encounter the teachings of Jesus and the Bible and to develop their understanding of the Christian belief in the Trinitarian nature of God and its language.
• Enable pupils as well as adults to engage in the planning, leading and evaluation of collective worship in ways that lead to improving practice. Leaders of worship, including clergy, have access to regular training.  
• Encourage local church community partnerships to support the school effectively in developing its provision for collective worship. 

We hold a daily act of worship in our School, taking various forms:  

Monday – Values assembly 

Tuesday – Godalming Minster Assembly or Class Worship (alternate weeks) 

Wednesday - School Staff-led Assembly (or external visitors) 
 
Thursday - Singing Assembly 
 
Friday – Celebration Assembly 

Families are invited to join us to celebrate the achievements of individuals across the week, with our school values at the heart of the reasons for nomination. This assembly promotes the community spirit of the school and is a practical demonstration of the way that home and school work together to support the achievements of our children.
 

Class-led Assemblies 
Each class from Reception to Year 6, will also have the opportunity to lead a class assembly once a year. This may take any variety of themes and is used as an opportunity to showcase children’s gifts and talents. These assemblies are an important opportunity for parents to share in their child’s development. 
 
The prayer at the end is introduced by the adult leading assembly as a point for everyone to pause and listen quietly, saying ‘Amen’ at the end if they agree and want to make the prayer their own.