Collective Worship & Ethos Group

Collective Worship

Collective Worship is a valued and important part of the school day at Offwell.  It happens every day and is a time when all can come together to find a space, silence and quietness to reflect on their own spirituality, values and place in the world.   The school’s vision and values are at the heart of acts of worship as well as sometimes using the opportunity to respond to the times when life gives us a ‘wow’ or ‘ow’ moment.  Collective Worship is invitational, inclusive and inspiring.  It is an chance for the whole school community to:

• Engage in an act of community
• Express praise and thanksgiving to God
• Reflect on the character of God and on the teachings of Christ through Biblical texts
• Affirm Christian values and attitudes
• Celebrate special times in the Christian calendar
• Experience and respond to Anglican traditions and practices
• Explore the big questions of life and respond to national events
• Foster respect and deepen spiritual awareness
• Be still and reflect
• Share each other’s joys and challenges

Collective Worship always starts and ends with the lighting of a candle to both signify the beginning and end to this special part of the day as well as being a focal point on which to reflect.  ‘Call and response’ Anglican liturgy is also used as part of worship.  For example ‘God is love, all the time. All the time, God is love.’  Every Friday parents are invited to join us to celebrate children’s achievements from the week.

Connecting with Collective Worship:

Collective Worship is planned and evaluated by the Collective Worship coordinator and Ethos Group.  There is a strong link with our local church (St Mary’s) and acts of worship are regularly lead by a member of the local clergy or church leadership.

Ethos Group

The Ethos Group is a group of children, staff, governor and parent representatives who work to enhance the Christian Distinctiveness of the school.

What is the Ethos Group?

Principles

Recognising its historic foundation, the school will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church of England and in partnership with the Church at Parish and Diocesan level.

Offwell Ethos group support the work of the Governing Body in terms of the statutory duty to uphold and develop the Christian distinctiveness of our school in line with our Trust Deed and the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodists Schools (SIAMS) Framework.

The group ensures the school aims to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality with in the context of Christian belief and practice.It ensures the school encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith and promotes Christian values through the experience it offers all its pupils.

Aims of the Ethos Group

• Distinctiveness must include a wholehearted commitment to putting faith and spiritual development at the heart of the curriculum
• The Christian ethos must permeate the whole educational experience
• The importance of clearly ascribed Christian values and their outworking in the life of the school(s) is widely accepted but may need embedding
• High quality religious education and collective worship must continue to make major

contributions to the church school’s Christian ethos

• Pupils should be enabled to engage seriously with and develop an understanding of the person and teachings of Jesus Christ
• Every child should be enabled to flourish in their potential as a child of God, as a sign and expression of the Kingdom. This is at the heart of the Church’s distinctive mission

Terms of Reference

• To recommend the school’s policy for Collective Worship and any updates for approval
• To monitor the implementation and impact of the school’s policy for Collective Worship
• To ensure arrangements for RE and Collective Worship meet statutory requirements
• To recommend the school’s policy for Religious Education and any updates for approval
• To recommend the school’s policy for spirituality and any updates for approval
• To monitor the implementation of the school’s policy for Religious Education
• To contribute and monitor the school self-evaluation in relation to SIAMS and to report back to the governors at least termly
• To ensure that the school’s effectiveness in relation to SIAMS and Christian Distinctiveness are discussed at least termly by governors
• To ensure that all actions from the previous SIAMS report have been addressed
• To receive information from the Headteacher and staff about how the school is improving its effectiveness as a distinctively Christian community
• To contribute to strategic planning and to make recommendations relating to SIAMS in the School Improvement Plan
• To promote links between the school, the local parish church and the wider community

 

Membership

RE and Collective Worship leader

Headteacher

Foundation Governor

Parent Governor

Parent

Representatives from year 4-6 (6 children in total)

Meetings

The Ethos Group will meet at least termly in order to be able to report to the full governing body.

The group will have the same procedural arrangements for the scheduling of meetings and circulation of agendas and papers as has the full Governing Body.

The terms of reference and membership of the group will be reviewed annually by the full Governing body at its first meeting of the school year.

SIAMS Inspection

The school will be inspected by SIAMS who will explore one central question:

How effective is the school’s distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels, in enabling pupils and adults to flourish?  This is done through the following seven strands:

1. Vision and Leadership
2. Wisdom, Knowledge and Skills
3. Character Development: Hope, aspiration, courageous advocacy
4. Community and Living Well together
5. Dignity and Respect
6. The impact of Collective Worship
7. The effective of religious education