Our Collective Worship

Middleton St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School has worship as a central focus for its ethos and as such, worship is an
important part of the school day. It provides a collective opportunity for all children, staff and visitors to worship or to
approach the threshold of worship in a way that makes sense to them, without assuming shared beliefs.

It is vital to recognise that the pupils in our school come from a variety of backgrounds, reflecting the nature of our
society and includes children:

• who have, or come from families with, Christian commitment and belief
• whose parents have chosen a church school (or who support its ethos) because they wish their child to
experience something of the Christian faith or a faith environment
• who are members of other faith communities
• who do not share in any particular religious belief.

Middleton St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School is dedicated to creating a happy, stimulating learning environment
supported by the Christian values of Honesty – Learning – Respect – Faith - Responsibility. These values underpin our worship themes and make a major contribution to our children’s spiritual development. Collective Worship is
fundamental to the Christian Foundations of Middleton St Mary’s CE (VC) Primary School.

Worship is in accordance with the school’s Trust Deed. The school meets the legal requirements – The School
Standards and Framework Act 1998 (Section 70 and Schedule 20) requires:
  • All registered pupils (apart from those whose parents exercise the right to withdrawal) must “on each school day
take part in an act of Collective Worship.” Parents must write a letter to the Headteacher to request withdrawal.
  • The daily act of Collective Worship should be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Trust Deed of
the school…and be consistent with the beliefs and practices of the Church of England.

Parents who wish to withdraw their child from Religious education and the act of worship should consult with the Headteacher.