We work closely with the community and have strong links with St Cuthbert’s Church and Pateley Bridge Methodist Church. The Reverends from both churches support us in the delivery of Collective Worship and lead a worship for us each week
Collective Worship.
Collective worship at our school reflects the broad traditions of Christian belief. We are a church school and our Collective Worship is Christian in nature and based on our Christian values as in our school vision. In these special times of worship we explore the Christian Values of responsibility, compassion, wisdom, respect, courage and koinonia, using Bible stories to guide us. This also extends beyond Collective Worship and into our classrooms and the dinner hall where children are given a time for reflection each day.
We have our local Vicar Father Darryl who helps us in the delivery of our Collective Worship each week.
Each half term we have a different Christian value and CHAMPS vision to think about in Collective Worship. On a Friday we have ‘Celebration Worship’ when we mark achievements the children have made during the week. We have a collective Worship Committee which allows children to share their views about collective worship. We also meet together in order to plan a worship for them to deliver to the rest of the school. On special occasions we go to church to mark festivals and times of celebration. the children are often involved in helping to lead the services by reading prayers, bible stories and singing. The whole school community is always very welcome to join us in church to mark these special times.
Whilst we value faith and worship, however, we also recognise that not everyone shares the same beliefs. we consider that diversity amongst staff, pupils, governors and parents, to be a blessing. It enriches our life together as a community (Koinonia). Any act of worship is therefore always invitational and offers opportunity for those involved to grow spiritually.
The right of withdrawal in St. Cuthbert’s School there are children whose families are members of another faith, or who hold a non- religious world view. Part of the distinctively Christian nature of Church of England Schools is that they should be as hospitable and inclusive to all in the community they serve. As collective worship occupies such a central place in the life of the Church school, this should be made clear on induction, and it is hoped that parents will be making a specific choice of the school knowing that the distinctive ethos will determine a Christian tradition within collective worship.
The 1944 and1988 Education Acts state that parents have the right to withdraw children from collective worship and suitable arrangements should be made to accommodate these children. On occasions, a parent may make a request for their child to be withdrawn from Collective Worship. There is an expectation that parents wishing to request a withdrawal will meet with the headteacher to discuss their concerns and requirements. It may be helpful to establish:
- The elements of worship in which the parent would object to the child taking part
- The other aspects of school life that are impacted by the Christian foundation of the school such as prayer and reflective areas
- The practical implications of withdrawal
- Whether the parent will require any advanced notice of such worship, and if so, how much
Where parents have withdrawn their children from collective worship and request religious worship according to their particular faith or denomination, the governors and head teacher will seek to respond positively to such requests providing:
- Such arrangements can be made at no additional cost to the school
- That the alternative provision would be consistent with the overall purposes of the school curriculum as set out in the Education Acts
If the Parent asks that a pupil should be wholly or partly excused from attending any religious worship at the school, then the school must comply. (This means that a parent may, for example, request their child does not take part in a carol service when otherwise the child takes part in daily collective worship.)