Norristhorpe Junior & Infant School

Current law requires all state-funded schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to hold daily acts of ‘Collective Worship’.  In England and Wales in schools with no formal religious character this worship must be ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’.

Government guidance in England and guidance in Wales states:

‘It is open to a school to have acts of worship that are wholly of a broadly Christian character, acts of worship that are broadly in the tradition of another religion, and acts of worship which contain elements drawn from a number of different faiths. [The law provides] that within each school term the majority of acts of worship must be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character, but it is not necessary for every act of worship to be so…”  “Some schools therefore choose to meet their obligations by ensuring that 51% of their assemblies are broadly Christian, while the other 49% are more inclusive.”

SMSC lies at the heart and soul of our school, reflecting the ethos and values of a caring and learning community.  SMSC overlaps with many other areas of school life; equality and diversity, safeguarding and the prevention of extremism.  As such, it is important that SMSC is at the heart of our planning for Collective Worship.  Our Norristhorpe Core Values are woven throughout the assemblies.

A diverse range of cultural and religious festivals are celebrated through assemblies to ensure we promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of our children and to promote Fundamental British Values.  British Values:  Fundamental British Values are defined as the following:  Democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs and those without faith.

Pupil entitlement:  collective worship should enable pupils, wherever possible, to share a single act of collective worship, while ensuring that worship is appropriate for the pupils taking part.  Pupils and their achievements are regularly celebrated in our collective worship.

Advice and training are followed from Pennine Learning, the Local SACRE and the SHAP calendar (Religious Education Council of England and Wales) is used to plan faith celebrations. Visitors are included where appropriate to promote Community Cohesion.