Collective worship
At St Teresa's we believe collective worship plays a fundamental part in the daily life of our school. It enables us to join together as one community in prayer and worship.
Assemblies
School Assemblies
Our school week begins with a whole school Gospel Assembly; the focus of the assembly relates to the Sunday Gospel and it is led by the Headteacher or a member of SLT.
Prayer leaders are chosen for each class weekly. The Prayer Leader will then lead the daily class prayers at different times of the day as appropriate.
Prayer Leaders will also help lead the Ten Ten Collective Worship on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. In KS2, class prayer and liturgy may be planned by the Prayer Leader and other children and will include scripture, prayer and music.
On Wednesday, whole school Collective Worship and prayer takes place in the hall. The focus is on singing hymns as part of our worship and praise. This session is led by the Music Leader.
At the end of the week, the whole school comes together in a Celebration Assembly led by the Headteacher and SLT.
Class Assemblies
During the school year, each class prepares an assembly that parents are warmly encouraged to attend, as this promotes community spirit, the sharing of the talents God has given us and the children’s achievements.
The themes for our assemblies follow the Liturgical Year of the Church. We use the Catholic TenTen resources and may refer to our Religious Education lessons as well. We currently use ‘Come and See’ resources.
EYFS will be adopting the new RED 2023 curriculum from September 2023, KS1 from September 2024 and kS2 from September 2024. This will be reflected in our future assemblies, prayers and Collective worship.
Prayers
Classroom Prayers
Prayer is woven into the daily life of our school through individual, class and whole school liturgy.
Prayer also takes place in the morning, before and after lunch and at the end of the school day. There is a strong pupil involvement in the preparation and presentation of prayer.
Pupils are also given opportunities to reflect and pray quietly for their own intentions.
Classes have a specific Prayer table and display as appropriate to the Liturgical calendar.
All Governing Body and Staff Meetings begin with a shared prayer.
St Teresa’s has a special Prayer Area next to the library. This area has been dedicated to Mary. Children are encouraged to come to the lunchtime Rosary Club each week to pray together. This area is also a space where children may come to pray, reflect and spend time quietly when they need to. Staff model the expectations of reverence and respect within this space.
Expectations of Prayer
Prayer may be planned or spontaneous in school. A simple outline of our expectations of prayer at St Teresa’s:
EYFS:
From Reception, children learn to make the Sign of the Cross and begin to recite the Morning Offering, Grace before and after Lunch and the Night Prayer with their teacher.
KS1:
Sign of the Cross, Morning Offering, Grace before and after Lunch, Night Prayer, Hail Mary, Our Father, Glory Be
KS2:
As KS1 also know the Angelus, Hail Holy Queen and have experienced The Magnificat as part of prayer life.
Prayer can be seen in many forms and ways:
Praise: the highest form of prayer, giving praise to God.
Thanksgiving: to be thankful for all that we have or are gifted from God. To know that everything comes from God.
Repentance: when we reflect on how we sometimes fall short of the Gospel values and we ask God for His forgiveness.
Petition: we ask for God’s help, intercession, for ourselves, for others and for the world.
Masses
Whole school Masses are celebrated on Holy Days of Obligation and special Feast Days and Celebrations.
One class attends Mass on Wednesday morning each week. Parents are invited to join the children and regular parishioners.
Seasonal celebrations take place in the church, school hall or on the playground as appropriate.
Pupils take part in special School Masses on a Sunday at the beginning of each term.
On Family Day, at the end of the academic year, parents celebrate Mass with us outside in our grounds.
Our Annual May Procession for Mary begins in the school hall and processes outside with families and friends in attendance.
The First Holy Communion preparation is Parish based and all pupils are encouraged to take part in this wonderful journey to the sacrament.
Services for the sacrament of Reconciliation are led by the Parish Priest for pupils in Years 4 to 6.
Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils take part in a special ‘Sorry Service’ led by our Vice Chair of Governors, an ex-Catholic Headtacher.
Our Parish Priest, Father Gerry, asks children to bring three prayers to Mass:
To say thank-you for something or somebody
To say sorry for something
To ask for help with something
