At Bletchingdon CE Primary School, our daily act of collective worship is an important part of the day when we gather as a school community to reflect, think and pray. It is a time when we think about Christian and our school values and promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our children.
Children play an active part in collective worship. We have a Collective Worship Committee made up from the children from Woodpecker, Kingfisher and Owl classes.
We believe that Collective Worship should be inclusive and build understanding, respect, and empathy in young people. Pupils, staff, and parents of all faiths or those without a faith, are welcome. Our school celebrates religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity and encourages dialogue and understanding. We believe that we can all learn from each other, and that Collective Worship is an educational entitlement to all. In Collective Worship we create the opportunity to explore the place of faith in each of our lives, and in the communities in which we live. Opportunities for children to learn, reflect and to offer thanksgiving and praise to God are provided through acts of Collective Worship.
Roots and Fruits
'A tree is known by its fruit.'
Matthew 12.33
Roots and Fruits is what we base our Christian collective worship on. It is rooted in Bible teaching and twelve Christian values represent the fruit that grows as the teaching is lived out in everyday life. Each term focuses on one value which links with the season of the Church year and the values are introduced over a two-year cycle.
| Roots and Fruits | ||
| Term | Year A Values | Year B Values |
| 1 | Generosity | Thankfulness |
| 2 | Compassion | Trust |
| 3 | Courage | Perseverance |
| 4 | Forgiveness | Justice |
| 5 | Friendship | Service |
| 6 | Respect | Truthfulness |
Daily acts of Collective Worship take different forms throughout the week:
Monday – Roots and Fruits Value.
Tuesday – Visiting clergy and singing worship alternately.
Wednesday – Worship based on current affairs, global events or what is happening in the world around us (Picture News).
Thursday – Reflection on either the Roots and Fruits value or the current affairs and global events (Picture News). Children are split into House Groups and thoughts and ideas are captured in a Big Reflection Book for each House.
Friday – Celebration Collective Worship.
Picture News
In conjunction, we use Picture News, the aims of this are to broaden the children’s geographical knowledge and understanding and how the impact of such events can affect others in the world. This links directly with building a strong moral compass for the children and encouraging them to be confident global citizens. Each week there is an article or Articles of the Week identified with reference to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children know that their rights are universal, inherent, inalienable, unconditional and indivisible.
Headteacher Caroline Walker
