Collective Worship
Collective Worship is at the heart of our school day and is valued as a key part of our spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Worship takes place daily and is a time for everyone at Oakmeadow to pause during the busy day to come together to consider, learn, appreciate, share, praise and as a time for reflection, song and prayer.
We start the week with 'Worship Together' on a Monday morning led by Mrs Hill or a member of the leadership team. This is a time for us to reflect and think about our values and our aims for the week.
On Tuesday, our RE and Music Leads come together to lead 'Worship in Song'. We feel that singing unifies us in our praise and allows us to respond to God's word in different ways.
On Wednesdays, a representative from our local church, Christchurch Bayston Hill, leads our 'Worship with Church'.
Once a week on a Thursday, children worship as a Key Stage, led by class teachers and the children. Children take an active part in these worship sessions by helping to act out stories, singing and sharing in prayer. Each class nominates a Worship Leader who helps to lead the welcoming, gathering and sending out aspects of whole school worship.
Every Friday we have a whole school 'Worship and celebrate' where we gather to celebrate children’s achievements in and out of school . Children are presented with certificates for demonstrating our school values and to celebrate excellence in their work or behaviour through our 'LEarner of the Week' and 'Star of the week' awards.
Once a month, the children visit Christchurch, where Reverend Hubbard and his team lead our services to further our focus on our values or celebrate major Christian festivals. These include: Harvest festival, Advent, Christmas and Easter. Every year Christchurch hold a Leavers’ service for Year 6. All of our Key Stage 2 Christmas and easter performances are also held at church and families, governors and the church congregation are welcome to join us on these occasions. The children very much enjoy going into church and see it as an extension of their school.
Prayer
Children have opportunities to engage with prayer regularly during the school day. All children are invited to pray during Collective Worship and throughout the day when there is an opportunity for reflection. All children know our school blessing and the Lord’s prayer, which are often said during collective worship in school and at church.
Our School blessing:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for our school.
We ask that everyday you help each of us to be kind, loving and honest and to always act with integrity.
Give us the strength to be resilient and try our hardest so we can be the best versions of ourselves.
Challenge us to respect one another and appreciate our differences so that we can dream, grow and achieve together and live life in all its fullness.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father, in heaven.
Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done.
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and forever.
Amen.