God created everyone in his image, and we are all his children. His ultimate aim is for us to grow and succeed in everything we do as his children. It is through the strength that Christ gives that we are able to overcome all challenges and to achieve and flourish in all that we do.
Daily Act of Worship
We gather together at Upper Arley C of E Primary School as a whole school or class. Our Collective Worship is split into the following sections:
- Welcome
- Learning
- Reflecting
- Responding
- Sending Out
Welcome
We have welcome words and light a single candle or three candles, which represent the Holy Trinity to indicate the start of worship.
Learning
We share a bible story linked to our value of the week
Reflecting
There will be an opportunity for everyone to reflect upon what has been seen, heard and prompted us to think.
Responding
Questions are used to prompt further thinking and to give everyone a chance to share and contemplate their actions.
Sending Out
We finish Worship with a prayer, music or the saying of The Grace
Upper Arley C of E Primary School
Upper Arley C of E Primary School is part of The Black Pear Trust. The Trust is made up of Church schools and Community schools. We work very closely with St George’s C of E School in Kidderminster.
We welcome all families, those who hold Christian beliefs, those who follow religions other than Christianity and those who do not follow any religion. As a church school, we our worship is based around Christianity.
In our school, Collective Worship is an expression of the school’s vision. It facilitates the opportunity to consider how it relates to our values, our lives and the teaching of the bible. In Collective Worship, the school community gathers and worship takes place; this is always being invitational, inclusive and inspiring. It is well planned and of high quality. Through a variety of experiences, the whole school community is engaged on a journey of discovery, exploring the teachings of Jesus and the Bible.
Our Pattern of Collective Worship
| Day | Type of Worship | Led by |
| Monday | Whole school Worship – Focused Value and theme | Headteacher |
| Tuesday | Class Reflection/Worship | Class Teacher |
| Wednesday | Whole school Worship | Visitor |
| Thursday | Worship with musical praise | Music Lead |
| Friday | Celebration Worship | Headteacher |
For information regarding the right to withdraw from Collective Worship please see our Worship policy.
The Anglican Church Year
Anglican churches follow a liturgical calendar. This is a pattern for their worship (liturgy) through the year.
As a church school, this provides an ideal opportunity to mirror what is happening in our parish and local church. It also provides a colourful and visual way to mark the festivals throughout the year. Most churches will use different coloured vestments (a priest’s clothing) and altar cloths as signs of the season of the church year.
In school this can mirrored through simply changing the colour of cloth on the worship table. Soon you will find that the children recognise the colours and their meaning, that when they gather for worship, they will notice the colours have changed and begin to make links between the seasons and the festivals throughout the year.
The Big Frieze
At Upper Arley C of E Primary School, we ‘The Big Frieze’ to understand the chronological order of the stories they learn and explore. This is also referenced in RE lessons and during Collective Worship, so that the children can make conscious connections.
