Collective Worship

Prayer, worship and liturgical celebration are central to our Catholic tradition and form an integral part of the school day and provide opportunities for the community to come together to celebrate, pray and share.  

Each child takes part in a daily act of worship.  Pupils demonstrate interest and enjoyment in Collective Worship and respond enthusiastically to a range of prayerful experiences, music, gesture and song that enrich our Catholic Life, identity and character.  Pupils engage sensitively to both traditional and contemporary prayer.

Prayer is encouraged in a variety of methods – private individual prayer, group prayer, and whole school prayer. Daily prayer helps make Jesus real for all in the school - a friend whom they can trust and relate to, one who is a guide, and one to whom they can turn in time of need.  Prayer within the classroom takes place at the start and end of the day and at lunchtime. 

Please find below information on some of the prayers that children learn in school:

Infant Prayer Book

Junior Prayer Book

All our forms of Collective Worship follow a similar structure.  We gather, using prayers or actions or music.  Then, we listen to scripture, readings and reflect on the meaning of the scripture we have heard and after that we respond by doing something or saying a prayer together.  Finally, we go forth by reflecting on the scripture and taking this forward into our work throughout the day.  It is wonderful to see the children excited, enthusiastic and deepening their faith through prayer and liturgy. Our Liturgy Prefects in Year 6 support our younger children by leading Prayer and Liturgy. 

School Liturgies and Assemblies

We look forward to our school liturgies and assemblies, which are centred on a range of themes:  the Church’s Liturgical Year; our Come and See curriculum; PSHE themes; global issues or British and Catholic values.  We recognise and celebrate the cultural diversity of Britain and our school community.   Our liturgies and assemblies support the social, moral, spiritual and cultural development of the children.   We always relate the themes of our school liturgies and assemblies to scripture references and the children engage enthusiastically with prayers and songs or hymns to celebrate and worship together.   The seasons of Advent and Lent are times of preparation for Christmas and Easter: a focus is given to both of these seasons by supporting school charities or raising money for certain causes.  It is wonderful to witness the children go forth from school liturgies with a reflection, or personal idea or practical response to our celebration, enabling all to deepen faith, learn from the teachings of Christ and become the very best we can be for ourselves and for others.

We celebrate together each Friday - to recognise and celebrate children’s achievements, both in and out of school - during our weekly Celebration Assembly.  

Our Infant pupils and Junior pupils also come together for weekly Hymn Practice.

Each class, throughout the year will also create their own Class Assembly, based on a given theme appropriate to the Liturgical Year or RE topic, and pupils share their reflections and understanding with the school and parents/carers.  This comprises of Prayer, Scripture, and Reflection, which is shown through the creative medium of drama, song, and choral readings.  Class Assemblies take place in our school hall.  Parents/carers and family members are also invited. The children enjoy simple refreshments for themselves and parents afterwards.

Fr Graham, our Parish Priest, also joins us very regularly for our liturgies and assemblies. 

Masses and Liturgies

Following the Church calendar, there are Holy Days of Obligation where we celebrate a mass and/or a liturgy.  School masses also take place to celebrate special feasts, including Sacred Heart Feast Day when we invite families and the Parish to an outdoor mass.  In the last week of the summer term, Year 6 pupils celebrate with a Leavers' Mass, to which their families are invited.  Each mass/liturgy is partially child-led: the children read Scripture and prayers, participate in drama, sing hymns, altar serve and/or take up the Offertory.  Our masses and liturgies are celebrated in either Sacred Heart Church or our school hall.  We work in partnership with home and Parish to make sure all children are rooted in our Catholic values.  On Holy Days of Obligation, the school joins the parish at Sacred Heart Church.  Parents/carers and parishioners are warmly invited to attend school Masses.  Dates for these can be found in our term date calendar.

Bible Scripture

In our lessons, assemblies and liturgies, we introduce the children, in a way suitable to their age and stage of development, to the variety of literary forms in the Bible, to understand its origins and treat it with respect and reverence. The younger children primarily build on their own experience and then are gradually introduced to the Bible.  Scripture acts as a focus and support in RE lessons and the ‘Come and See’ programme outlines which pieces of Scripture each year group should focus on. 

Our Parish

We are privileged to be supported by Fr Graham Smith, Parish Priest of Sacred Heart and St John Fisher, Southend.  Fr Graham is a very regular visitor to our school.  The children delight in Fr Graham attending our school to support them in their spiritual development, the events surrounding the Liturgical Year and the celebration of Mass and Reconciliation.  Sacred Heart School actively supports the life of the parish and signposts parents and pupils to the times of Masses and events of the parish.

Click Here to see our Collective Worship Policy

Sacred Heart Feast Day - Outdoor Mass and Celebrations