We hold collective worship at the end of every school day to give children and staff time to pause, reflect, and think about the values they’ve lived out during the day. It’s a special time when we come together as a school family to share Bible stories, pray, sing songs, find out about people of faith and celebrate achievements. Usually we meet together as a whole school, but on Tuesdays we worship in our classes. Our aim is that worship is inclusive, invitational, inspirational and relevant for children living in today's world.
Values Worship (Mondays)
Each week begins with a worship focussed on the exploration of that half-term's Christian Value. Usually Mrs Sutton leads us in this worship, but we also love welcoming others in to lead worship, such as members of the clergy from St Leonard the Less Church or retired clergy living within the local area.
Picture News (Class Worship - Tuesdays)
We use Picture News in our class worships to help us explore current events and big questions happening in the world around us, using a child-friendly approach. Each week, we look at a real-life news story and think about how it connects to our lives and the world we live in. From a Christian perspective, it encourages children to reflect upon values such as compassion and respect, helping them to understand different views and respond thoughtfully. It supports spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development, while inspiring pupils to make a positive difference in the world, therefore reflecting our school vision to let your light shine.
Singing Worship (Wednesdays)
Our school is proud to have very passionate and able singers among both the children and staff, with singing worship playing a big part in enabling us to come together to praise, reflect, and celebrate through music. As a way of further developing children's knowledge and understanding about our Christian Values, each half-term we introduce new songs linked specifically to the value of the half-term, which is done during singing worship. Singing worship is a powerful way for children to express their spirituality in a fun and meaningful way and takes place each week.
Thursday Worships
Mrs Quayle leads us for worships on Thursdays and the focus will change throughout the year, as we explore the Christian faith in a range of ways. During 2024-2025, some of the things we've explored include images of Jesus from around the world, Christian festivals around the world and Christian Saints. During 2023-2024 we read through the Bible and acted out a story each week.
Celebration Worships (Fridays)
Our amazing Y5/6 pupils take it in turns to plan and deliver Friday's Celebration Worship as we reflect upon how we've shone our lights during the past week and we always have lots to celebrate so it is always an exciting, positive way to finish the week. We give out many awards, including Leading Light Award, Headteacher Award, reading certificates and values tickets as well as announcing that week's dojo and house team winners. We also love hearing about what children have been doing outside of school and many bring in certificates / trophies / medals to show how they have been shining their lights in the local community (and further afield!).
Godly Play
Each class will take part in at least one Godly Play based worship each term. Godly Play is a special way of helping children explore Bible stories through wonder, play, and creativity. In our school, we use Godly Play to give children the time and space to think deeply about faith, ask big questions, and make personal connections with the stories of God. This gentle, story-based approach supports each child’s spiritual growth by encouraging imagination, reflection, and a sense of peace and belonging in a sacred space. Here is our Godly Play timetable:
Outdoor Worship
As we are blessed with such amazing school grounds, all of our classes take part in outdoor worship at least once per term, giving children and staff the chance to connect with God whilst being surrounded by fresh air, birdsong, and trees, enabling time for reflection and prayer in a calm and peaceful environment. Outdoor worship encourages a sense of awe and wonder, helping pupils to feel closer to creation and to each other.
End of Term Worships
At the end of every term, we take part in a special celebration worship in St Leonard the Less. Key Stage 2 always do a fantastic job of leading us through this service as we take time to reflect on the time of the year (Christmas/Easter/our Y6 Leavers) as well as celebrate pupil achievements throughout the term. All families are invited to join us at this worship.
Other Worships
Although these are our main planned worships, we also take part in other worships during the year, such as going to Blackburn Cathedral to join with the other two schools in our Benefice for an annual joint Carol Service or our Y6s taking part in a mass Leavers' Service led by the Diocese.