Collective Worship and Spirituality at Archbishop Wake

Collective Worship @ ABW

Collective Worship at Archbishop Wake CE Primary School is an integral and vital part of the school day.

Collective Worship in a Church school should enable every child and adult to flourish and to live life in all its fullness (John 10:10).  It will help educate for wisdom, knowledge and skills, hope and aspiration, dignity and respect, and developing community and understanding of living well together.

In our school, worship is central to the life of school and is the main platform for exploring the school’s vision. It is well planned and of high quality so that the whole school community is engaged on a journey of discovery, exploring the teachings of Jesus and the Bible.

For Christians in Church, worship is about honouring God and responding to the loving nature of God as revealed through the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A school is not a Church, but is a collection of people who come from a variety of backgrounds for the purpose of education. We recognise that family backgrounds may be very different and collective worship must take account of the varied circumstances of staff and pupils.

Collective Worship aims to be inspirational, invitational and inclusive and will lead people to a threshold where they can witness worship and join in, if they wish.

Worship at Blandford Forum Parish Church is a highlight of the school year. Not only do we visit and celebrate worship throughout the liturgical year (Harvest, Christmas and Easter), we also build in time to incorporate the church into our curriculum whenever we can.

Sadly, the last 18 months have made visits to the church impossible - we are waiting for the day when we will be able to return as a whole school to celebrate and worship with the community once more!

Harvest 2021

This year, we have again supported our local charity and collected items that have been donated to the Blandford Foodbank.

Once more, the community of Archbishop Wake have been extraordinarily generous - especially in times when there is great need.

Our gratitude goes to everyone who donated something to the cause. We extend our thanks to God for providing us with all that we need.

In our Harvest service, we were joined by a member of the team at the Blandford Foodbank. He explained what happens to the donations and how this helps families in our own, local community.

"The land yields its harvest. God, our God, blesses us." Psalm 67:6

Year Six Harvest Poetry:

Harvest time here again: honouring and cherishing hazy autumn days.

Autumn adventures tree to tree, mile to mile.

Respect for others, our land, our wildlife, our Earth.

Vast fields of wheat swish in the delicate breeze.

Elegant hares prancing on leaf-littered floors.

Sharing nature's bounty with our community.

Thankful, grateful and blessed.

Year Five Harvest Prayers:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the many fruits and vegetables that you provide for us.

Thank you for the wonderful world you have given us.

Help us to appreciate our amazing planet and look after it, so that it can look after  us.

Thank you to all the farmers who work hard to grow and harvest our food.

Remind us to share what we can with others who are less fortunate and to be thankful for all that we have.

Amen.

Dear God,

Thank you for providing all the wonderful food we eat and help us to share it with those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Give us the strength to not waste food and help farmers all over the world to grow their crops.

We are grateful for all the food that grows throughout the year and want to say thank you to the people who prepare and cook the meals we eat.

Amen.

Spirituality development @ ABW

Archbishop Wake CE VA Primary School is a loving, caring and forgiving community where we respect, appreciate and support each other and our environment. Learning is challenging, exciting and fun. Children are prepared for the challenging world in which they live by learning and applying key skills so that they achieve the best possible outcomes and become independent learners for life. They have opportunities to discover, develop and share their talents, know how to keep themselves safe and healthy and understand their rights and responsibilities as a member of the wider community. On leaving our school, children are well equipped to embrace their future and all it holds with faith in God, each other and themselves.

At Archbishop Wake CE Primary we define spirituality as:

‘Everyone’s natural connection with the awe, wonder and energy of life’s experiences that we feel, but may not always be able to see, touch or explain.

Life isn’t about the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away (Anonymous)’

There are 4 concepts of spirituality

• Self - Spiritual learners become increasingly aware of the concept of self – the inner person and the way that this shapes an individual’s perception of themselves as a unique human being. Spiritual learners reflect on the relationship that they have with their sense of being a unique person.

• Others - Spiritual learners become increasingly aware of the concept of others – a growing empathy, concern and compassion for how to treat others. Spiritual learners reflect on how their values and principles affect their relationships with others.

• Beauty - Spiritual learners become increasingly aware of the concept of beauty – a growing relationship with beauty through the ability to respond emotionally to experiences of the wonder of the natural world and human creativity. Spiritual learners explore their understanding beauty and the affect this has on their perception of and relationship with the world.

• Beyond - Spiritual learners become increasingly aware of the concept of the beyond – a growing relationship with the transcendental and the ability to explore experiences beyond the everyday. Spiritual learners search for meaning in their very existence and their place in the greater scheme of things.