‘And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ Micah 6:8.
Through the teachings of Jesus, all can flourish spiritually, emotionally and academically throughout life, living out love and justice for all. Our Christian values of love, justice, compassion, wisdom, forgiveness and friendship underpin the life of the school community and impact on our daily lives. Guilden Sutton Church of England Primary School strives to provide the best possible education for our children. We aim for excellence within our happy, secure school where each individual’s achievements are valued and celebrated. By using a holistic approach, we will provide a curriculum that offers a diverse and challenging environment to inspire and motivate every child in our care.
At Guilden Sutton Church of England School we always seek to reflect in our worship the Christian foundation of the school and its care for all who work here. Children are helped to understand the meaning of Christian worship and we hope that believers will be able to share in it and that others of no faith will have a clear understanding of how Christians worship.
Our central aims of collective worship are to:
- Enable children and staff to explore and celebrate the differences and diversity found in the variety of forms of worship in the Anglican tradition.
- Lead the school community to understand worship in order for them to make an informed choice about their own involvement and to consider their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
- Seek to deepen and widen the experience of those of ‘faith’ and encourage those of ‘no faith’ so that they begin to feel for themselves something of what it means to worship.
- Use celebration, silence, stilling, reflection, contemplation, meditation, prayer, song, symbols and imagery as vehicles for worship and spiritual growth.
- Provide opportunities for the whole school community to address God directly through Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit through acknowledging his presence, reflecting upon his character and giving Him praise and honour.
- Use a vocabulary of worship that encourages the whole school community to attend, participate and lead worship.
- Encourage all present to explore their own beliefs and understanding of God within a Christian framework by learning more about the Christian faith and by encountering Christ through worship.
- Raise awareness through reflection of the ultimate questions of life relating to matters of faith.
- Reaffirm, strengthen and practise the school’s key Christian values (love, justice, friendship, forgiveness, wisdom and compassion) and celebrate each unique individual member of the school community as made in the image of God.
- Nurture and encourage respect and care for God’s created world by promoting a positive attitude to environmental issues locally, nationally and globally.
- Seek to provide opportunities for spiritual, social and moral development that is characterised by feelings such as awe, wonder, being uplifted, elation, appreciation, gratitude, respect and reverence.
- Develop a sense of community within the school, the locality (e.g. local church) and foster the sense of being part of a wider community through the celebrations of achievement, festivals and special occasions.
- Foster a concern for the needs of others.
Our Collective Worship is distinctively Christian and contains 6 core strands.
A. Doctrine B. Poetry C. The life of Jesus D. Liturgy E. Old Testament F. The Church
Each core strand is visited 2 times in our 4-yearly cycle. Some core strands interface with aspects of other core strands.
There is a further core strand which is continuously on-going every year.
G. The Anglican Year
Time to be Still takes place every Wednesday as a whole school. The teacher or pupils leading choose a piece of music which allows children and staff to stop and take time to be still and calm in order to encourage their own spiritual development. Friday Collective Worship takes the form of celebration and reflect the achievements and learning of the children. They offer an opportunity to acknowledge and reward children for their achievements both in and out of school. They play an important part in promoting the ethos of the school, which is that all children are valued and all achievements are recognised. Andy Avery (Chester Schools Christian Work) leads Collective Worship every Tuesday, involving children in acting out Bible stories and exploring our Christian values through them.
All classes take part in Collective Worship in St John’s Church, Guilden Sutton at least once a year to celebrate Christmas, Easter and ‘A New Beginning.’ Other visits are made as part of our R.E. scheme of work and invitations to family and festival services are regularly made. A family service is held in The Village Hall on the first Sunday of every month to which staff, governors and families are invited.
At Guilden Sutton C of E Primary School, Collective Worship is highly valued and every effort is made to ensure that all children and staff take an active part in a high quality daily act of Collective Worship. Worship may contain many elements but we seek to specifically ensure that the act of Collective Worship is a learning experience as well as a spiritual encounter. Children should have a clear idea of how Christians worship and a clear understanding of the school’s vision and key values. Continuous monitoring and evaluation will ensure that Collective Worship is meaningful and appropriate for all.
To find out more about our local church, St John the Baptist, click here.