Church School Flourishing
Children singing Seeds of Friendship- Our School Song started by Year 6.
We want our children to learn and experience what it means to worship. We acknowledge that each one of us, whether child or adult, is travelling our own spiritual journey. We offer the opportunity to find a point of peace and quiet in the day where we can explore ideas, and learn from the examples of Christian teachings and aspects of other faiths and cultures how we can best live our lives.
Our worship is inclusive and delivered so everyone present feels included, whilst respecting the integrity of the different families and backgrounds we serve. The themes we cover supplement RE teaching and include our vision, values and key times and celebrations within the Christian calendar.
At St Nicholas singing is a key feature of coming together as a school community. Our children are incredible singers and visitors regularly comment on how moving it is to hear our children sing.
We work closely with the schools' Collective Worship team, our vicar Rev. Peter and the Bridge to plan and deliver acts of worship that are invitational, reflective and engaging. There is plenty of flexibility in the provision of collective worship to enable all pupils to benefit without compromising their beliefs.
Collective worship gives pupils and school staff the opportunity to:
- Engage in an act of community.
- Express praise and thanksgiving to God.
- Be still and reflect.
- Explore the big questions of life and respond to national events.
- Foster respect and deepen spiritual awareness.
- Reflect on the character of God and on the teachings of Christ.
- Affirm Christian values and attitudes.
- Share each other's joys and challenges.
- Celebrate special times in the Christian calendar.
Each term collective worship seeks to explore one of our Christian Values in detail. We also explore other religions, religious festivals and World news.
| Terms | Christian Values |
| Term 1 | Friendship |
| Term 2 | Peace |
| Term 3 | Perseverance |
| Term 4 | Forgiveness |
| Term 5 | Truth |
| Term 6 | Thankfulness |
Our worship timetable follows a similar pattern each week though this can change depending on the Christian calendar and availability of visitors.
| Day | Who Leads? | Theme |
| Monday | Mrs Hill | Exploration of the theme of the week, related to that term's Christian Value |
| Tuesday | Mrs Bales | Picture News- how our Christian values or bible stories link to the news of the week. |
| Wednesday | Daniel or Mrs Hill with children | Chaplain or Child led worship |
| Thursday | Class teachers | Class Worship- deeper exploration of our Christian Value |
| Friday | Mrs Hill or Mrs Waddington | Singing Worship |
Visitors
We also have visits from actors from Wintershall and members of the Bridge Project who come and lead worship for us.
Our Collective Worship Team
Our Collective Worship Team are responsible for the reflection and development of Collective Worship in our school.
The Collective Worship Team meet once a term with Mrs Hill or Daniel to plan for a worship in school and to review collective worship that term. The collective worship team support and lead key Christian celebrations including our Harvest, Christmas and Easter services as well as leading other important times of celebration/reflection such as Remembrance.
During Collective worship the team also help to support capturing the main themes and ideas within the worship in the Worship floor book. This can be used by children to look back and reflect on the themes covered as they build throughout the term and year.
Spirituality at St Nicholas
As a church school we believe that spirituality should influence all areas of education and life. Spiritual development is not about becoming more spiritual, it is about realising or becoming more and more aware of one’s natural, innate spirituality.
We aim to support each individual and encourage them to flourish. Pupils are encouraged to explore and develop their own values and beliefs (which may or may not be Christian), and to appreciate the richness and diversity of the world. This is coupled with the promotion (and modelling) of high standards of personal behaviour and positive, caring, attitudes – all based on a firm bedrock of Christian values.
Spiritual development cannot always be structured and opportunities may arise spontaneously out of the school day or at times inspired by the Seasons. A range of experiences and curriculum areas provide opportunities for spiritual development (eg. Circle Time, drama, PSHE, science, history, PE, Forest School, music and RE).
Spirituality is an innate human capacity. It enables us to become aware of God, one another, the world around us and ourselves. At St Nicholas, we define spirituality as the the opportunity to feel our souls grow and sing. Through seasonal moments of awe and wonder, music, beauty, the outdoors, dance, art and creative writing we grapple with ourselves and others: with big questions and small wonderings . We provide children with openings for spiritual development through windows, mirrors and doors. This is for the ‘wows’ and ‘ows’ that we experience in the world.
A good starting point to learn about spirituality is to think of Windows, Mirrors and Doors.
Windows: Giving pupils opportunities to become aware of the world in new ways. This includes both the things that amaze them and also challenge them.
Mirrors: Giving pupils opportunities to reflect upon their experiences. To reflect on life’s big questions and to consider some possible answers. Learning from life, by exploring their own insights and perspectives and those of others.
Doors: Giving pupils opportunities to respond, to do something creative in order to express, apply and further develop their thoughts and convictions. Learning to live by putting into action their beliefs and values.